Lover Reunited
by Suzanne Cross
Summary: Three years ago, Qhuinn met the female of his dreams in an alley near a club. She was gorgeous, sexy, and going through her needing. It was too bad she disappeared after their experience together. But what's this? He comes across the same female in the same alley fighting with a lesser...
1. Chapter 1

The Scribe Virgin smiled as she cooed to the the canary, her son had brought her, on her finger. Birds brought her such joy, they loved and never asked anything in return.

"Annalise."

The Scribe Virgin's annoyance prickled to life at the informal use of her name. But she knew that voice, had known it for thousands of years, and though it was a beautiful voice, it was cool and filled with dislike.

Sensing her annoyance, the bird flew off her finger to the top of a nearby tree.

The goddess got to her feet, her robes flowing around her. Her hood turned to the female who had materialized in her courtyard.

"Alexiel, it's so nice to see you again."

The tone of the words said otherwise.

A hiss came out of the hood of the black robes, similar to her own, that her niece insisted on wearing. "You know perfectly well, I call myself Lilth, and have for centuries."

The Scribe Virgin waved away that comment, "Oh, yes, of course. How could I have forgotten?"

Lilith apparently didn't like the sarcasm in her voice from the growl that came up out of her throat.

"Why have you called me here?"

There was a shrug in reply, "Maybe I just wanted to see my precious niece."

"Precious my ass," the muttered reply came with a harsh chuckle.

Easing herself back onto the lip of the courtyard fountain, the Scribe Virgin patted the spot next to her, "Here, come sit."

Though the other female came closer, she didn't sit, "No thanks. I'd rather stand."

The robes moved as the Scribe Virgin shrugged, "Suit yourself then." Looking up into the dark hood of her niece's robe, she said a bit irritably, "Do take that dreadful thing off your head. Beauty such as yours should be viewed by the world."

"Like you're one to talk," Lilith grumbled, but complied. Slowly she lowered the hood.

The Scribe Virgin did the same, willing her skin to shimmer instead of glow. Her diamond colored eyes met her niece's icy blue ones.

She looks so much like her mother, the goddess thought with a wistful sigh. "Ah, how lovely. You should reveal yourself into society, males would flock to line up at your feet for the honor of becoming your _hellren_. You are the most beautiful creature of your race, you must take some pride in that."

An unladylike snort came from Lilith's full lips, "Whatever. Now, cut the chit-chat and tell me why you've summoned me."

"Maybe I wanted to see how the Sisterhood is doing."

"Bullshit," it wasn't said in anger, but in a matter-of-fact tone. "You were against me forming the Sisterhood centuries ago. You still are,  
even though we're as strong as your Brotherhood."

"Your female warriors could never be as powerful as my warriors," the Scribe Virgin said with a smile.

Lilith ignored that, "Tell me the real reason, Annalise."

The Scribe Virgin studied the unearthly beauty of her kin. Honey blond hair fell in waves to the back of her kness. She was tall for a female, but had the curves to make a male whimper and not to make her body look willowy. Her face held so much beauty, that the Greeks had named her Aphrodite since human men would fall in love with her on sight.

Though she could kill the entire human race if she felt like it.

Folding her hands in front of her, the Scribe Virgin spoke while keeping her eyes on Lilith's, "You understand your _needing_ is fast  
approaching."

It wasn't a question.

Lilith stiffened but quickly composed herself and crossed her arm over her volumptuous breasts, "Of course I know. And your point is?"

"I would like you to mate with a male this time around, instead of having your physician at your base put you under."

Lilith didn't answer, neither did she take her eyes off her aunt.

"You should pick a suitable male and use him. After the needing, take him as your _hellren_. Think about your race, Lilith. With you lineage, your sons could become warriors, your daughters Chosen."

"There are no more Chosen," Lilith pointed out.

The goddess waved that aside, "Then they may become warriors as well. But once you're mated I do not want you to fight anymore. Have your subordinates fight for you instead and lead them from a safe distance."

Then she was silent, waiting patiently for the explosion of anger she was sure would come.


	2. Chapter 2

_"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!"_

The Scribe Virgin barely managed not to flinch at the shout of anger. She wasn't surprised, she had expected this kind of reaction.

Lilith was furious, eyes flashing red, she leaned down putting her face into the goddess's. "When, and if, I choose to mate it will be with a male that I have chosen _myself_. I will not let you tell me what I can or cannot do. I am not like the king, I do not serve you, I never have."

That had the Scribe Virgin's eyes narrowing, "Of course not," she ground out through tight lips. "You serve no one, you believe yourself to be superior to all others."

Her niece ignored that and continued, "I will fight, I have for thousands of years and I won't stop just because I have children. If anything, that will only make me want to fight even more in order to make this world safe for my child to grow up in. You have kids, Annalise, wouldn't you have wanted them to grow up without worries?"

The goddess didn't answer, probably thinking about how her son, Vishious, had grown up. In hell.

"The race you created is in serious trouble, Annalise," Lilith said gravely. Their eyes met, "You need me in this war. Do you really think the Brotherhood can defeat the Omega all by themselves?"

"They have the Destrohyer," the goddess put in. "He is the key to winning the war."

"And you also have me," Lilith shot back. She held up a slender hand and before the Sribe Virgin's eyes the hand started to glow blue, the light growing so bright she had to cover her eyes. "Remember, Annalise? I have some of the Omega in me as well, I am exactly like the Destrohyer only much, much more powerful."

The glow vanished and Lilith lowered her hand. She sneered down at her aunt, "As I said, I will fight."

"Indeed," the Sribe Virgin had not been aware of the extent of Lilith's powers. The fact that she could take the part of the Omega out of one of his _lesser _minions was a major weapon against her brother. Lifting her head, she nodded at her niece, "Then fight you will, Lilith. Help the race, help them thrive."

Turning away, Lilith stalked towards the door of the sanctuary, but before leaving she glanced back one more time at the Scribe Virgin, "I plan to, Annalise. I plan to do just that."

And then she was gone.

Lilth stood on top of the roof of the nightclub The Iron Mask, ignoring the pulsating beats of music vibrating the ground she stood on.

It was time. She felt the _needing _rising within her, using her mental powers she had managed to subdue it until she felt the need to release it.

The male she'd been monitoring was inside of the club with his friends. All she had to due was lure him outside somehow and the rest would follow.

She'd been watching this particular male for months, even before she'd realized her _needing _was approaching she'd been drawn to him. At first it was just to his appearance, the male was indeed attractive, but as she continued to watch him she saw so much more to him than what was visible on the outside.

He was complex and intriguing, like a puzzle. She saw the loyalty to his friends and the lusting after human females plainly enough, but every so often something dark would flash in his eyes.

She wanted to know what dark things lied in his past. And she didn't know why.

Lilith didn't quite remember the exact moment she realized she was going to use the male for her _needing_. It seemed as though there were no other options, her body longed for his even now.

Longed for his blood as well.

He'd seen her, once or twice in the club while she'd been watching him. His eyes had met hers on more than one occasion and the heat in his gaze had excited her. He'd tried to find her, to fuck her no doubt like he did with the other numerous human females at the club.

Lilith was having none of that, she wouldn't be just another conquest, she wasn't sure why, but she wanted to leave an impression in this particular male's mind.

Like he belonged to her.

She growled at that, she didn't want ties to this male, any male for that matter. She'd learned long ago that you she could trust no one with what she was, for who she was.

That was why after the next few days, she would completely disappear from this male's life. Never to see him again after she used him.

Why did a part of her mourn at the thought?

The sudden appearance of her prey, jerked her out of her thoughts. He stood outside of the club, seeming as though he was just out for some air.

Now was her chance, she couldn't let him go back into the club with his friends. It had to be now.

She whipped out her cell phone and texted her second in command a short message: _Going to be unreachable for a few days. You're in charge._ She hit _send _and pocketed the phone.

Lilith launched herself off the roof, landing on the ground silently as a cat. Looking around she decided this was the perfect spot to set her plan into action.

Jogging to the end of the alley, she poked her head around the corner making sure her target was still there.

Her eyes drank in the site of him. Muscular and in leather, two of her favorite things.

Ducking back into the alley, Lilith released the mental hold she'd had on her _needing _cravings. The pain and heat that coursed through her nearly had her on her knees, but she managed to stay upright.

She smiled despite the pain, the plan was in motion.


	3. Chapter 3

Qhuinn heaved in the brisk night air.

No matter how much he liked th bar scene, sometimes he just needed to breathe without inhaling smoke and sweat.

Thrusting his hands in his pockets, Qhuinn glanced around. The usual line outside the club's doors was long, with more than one half dressed human female in it. In fact, he was being summed up by a couple pair of eyes at the moment.

Tonight, shockingly, he didn't feel much up for mindless sex. Not that it wasn't good, his body was just itching for something a little more.

Turning his face up, he let the chilly wind slap at his face, he'd been restless from the beginning of this night and as it had progressed the feeling had only gotten worse.

His skin felt too tight, his muscles twitched.

It was really starting to piss him off.

Rolling his head to loosen the knot in his neck, Qhuinn desperately wanted some _lessers_ to kill, maybe that would make his restlessness go away.

Or maybe he should try getting laid after all.

Turning, he started to go back inside the club and find a more than willing female.

The pulsating throbbing that shot through his groin froze him in place.

Oh shit.

He knew what this was, though he'd never really experienced it, he'd heard of it; it was a female and she was going through her _needing_.

Eyes skimming the area he saw no sign of any female vampire. But the sensation and smell was strong, but why would a female be out here?

Glancing back at the club, Qhuinn considered ignoring this strange event and going back in with his friends. But that wasn't the kind of male he was.

Cursing, Qhuinn started his search for the female.

After taking a look around, he found no sign of any female in distress.

But the throbbing in his groin continued. She was somewhere close by.

"Dammit!" if she wasn't around here, then where could she be?

At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure stumble out of an alleyway across the street.

Turning, Qhuinn froze as a pair of ice blue eyes met his. And judging by the shot of pure lust to is groin, he guessed this was the female he'd been searching for.

Holy shit, he knew her.

Well, not really. He'd seen her around the club a few times. Every time he'd seen her he'd tried to find her, but she'd disappear before he could get to her.

Jogging over, he barely made it in time to catch the female as her hand slipped from the side of the alley wall and she started to fall.

Catching her by the shoulders, Qhuinn gently eased her upright, handling her as if she were made of glass.

God, she was extraordinarily beautiful. He couldn't keep his eyes off her face, even when his body roared at him to take her and make her his.

He finally found his voice, "Um, are you all right? Is there someone I can call to come pick you up?"

She shook her head, and then she raised her eyes exposing Qhuinn to her hypnotic gaze. Straightening, she drew closer to him until their bodies were inches apart.

Qhuinn felt himself to sweat as the female slowly slid her hands from his chest up to his shoulders. With eyes that were clouded over with both pain and passion, she gave him the once over from head to toe. The path of her eyes seemed to leave a trail of fire over his body.

Her eyes went back to his and a slow cat-like smile curved her lips, "There's no one to call, but you can do something for me."

Oh boy, he thought to himself. Qhuinn swallowed hard in order to ease his suddenly dry mouth, "What?"

The smile grew wider, as she lifted up on her tiptoes, bringing her lips to hover in front of his. "You can serve me," she purred.

That cleared up some of the haze of his mind, "B-but, there's the possibility of pregnancy."

Her eyes seemed to glow as she grinned wickedly up at him, her fangs gleaming in the dim light of the street lamps, "You don't have to worry about that."

For a second, it seemed as though he was staring at some strange otherworldly being. It was those eyes, he told himself, he was being ridiculous.

Qhuinn pondered her offer. Here, he had a gorgeous blond female going through her _needing_, offering him a night or two of blow-the-freakin'-roof-off sex without any strings attached.

Could a guy ask for more?

"Where can we do this?" he asked her.

Something, that looked strangely similar to triumph, flared in her eyes but it was gone before he could be sure. She grinned and pointed to the street, "Hail a cab."

She didn't have to ask twice, after sending a quick text to John and Blay he proceeded to do as the female asked. It was the weekend so he didn't have to worry about classes at the Brotherhood's mansion.

Finally, he managed to hail a cab and he waited for the female to climb in before he did the same.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked without looking back.

Before he could open his mouth, the female spoke in her alluring voice, "To the Mariot, please."

The cabbie snuck a peek at the woman behind the voice, only to stop and stare with his mouth agape.

Qhuinn growled and pulled the female's pulsating body closer to his, "You heard the lady, step on it."

The cab driver got the picture and tore his eyes away from the female and started driving.

Qhuinn snuck a glance down at the female beside him.

He had to wonder why she had such a satisfied smile on her lips.

John Matthew looked down at his phone and frowned at the text message from his friend.

**Something came up, I'll tell you all about it later. See you in a few days.**

**Q**

It was odd for Qhuinn to suddenly leave like that.

Blay had gotten the same text, "Maybe he went home with a girl."

John nodded though he was still frowning; Qhuinn didn't usually go to a girl's house or even to a motel. He preffered to do the dirty in the club in one of the private rooms or in the bathroom. But if he wanted the girl enough he would have gone back to her place if she'd insisted.

Without Qhuinn, the fun of the evening seemed to have disappeared with him.

Blay cleared his throat, "So, you ready to go or what?"

John nodded, his mind still on his friend, _Let me just go pay for the drinks_.

As he got out of the booth, John decided that he'd get the truth out of Qhuinn when he saw him again.

Once they arrived at the hotel, Lilith practically jumped out of the cab and walked quickly into the hotel, leaving the male to pay the driver. After all, she thought with a cat-like smile, she'd be bringing him into _her_ penthouse sweet.

She waited beside the elevator for the male she would be using for her needs for the rest of the night, or however long she may need him. As he stalked through the doors, she admired his body while her own thrummed with anticipation and her _needing_. She caught a few other women eyeing the male as well and barely resisted the urge to go over and threaten them to keep their eyes off of him or else she would gladly scratch them out herself. He was hers.

Shaking her head, Lilith tried to clear some of those thoughts away. She couldn't be thinking things like that when she meant to disappear out of this male's life as soon as she was through with her _needing_.

She would never take another mate.

Sending her thoughts to the back of her mind, Lilith managed a seductive smile as the male came to her side. "Don't we need to check in first?"

She shook her head and produced the key to the penthouse, "There's no need to get a room when I have one already."

Stepping into the elevator, she waited for the male to step in before she stuck the key into the keyhole reserved for the penthouse owners. Frankly, she hardly used this place. She only kept it so she could have a place to indulge in a male's body when and if she had the urge to.

Lilith stepped back and waited as the elevator started to rise. The atmosphere in the tiny space of the elevator was thick with the lust and anticipation that the both of them were feeling.

Her hands balled into fists, Lilith suppressed the urge to touch the male. She needed to wait until they were alone and safe within the walls of her penthouse.

"What's your name?"

The question shocked her, she didn't think he'd ask that.

He must've seen her surprise, "I think if we're going to be spending a few nights with each other then we should probably know each other's names."

She nodded, though she really didn't want him to tell her his name since she was supposed to forget his existence when they parted ways, "Everyone calls me Lilith."

He frowned, cause she admitted that wasn't her real name, just what everyone called her. "I'm Qhuinn."

In the end, it will not matter, she thought to herself a bit sadly.

Thankfully, the doors opened and the two of them stepped out. Lilith made her way to the door and proceeded to unlock it.

Once she got it open, she stepped aside and waved an arm towards the open door, "After you."

She was shocked when he grabbed her by the ass and lifted her into his arms and sealed their lips together.

Her shock quickly evaporated and need took its place. With a moan, Lilith wrapped her arms around Qhuinn's shoulder and her legs around his waist, bringing their groins together and causing them both to groan.

Lilith was impressed that Qhuinn managed to get them both through the doorway and to shut the door all without taking his lips from hers.

Qhuinn went to the center of the room where a king sized bed awaited them.

Lilith quivered with excitement when he laid her down on its surface proceeded to lift his shirt over his head.

She eyed his chest as he threw his shirt aside. In the back of her mind she said to herself with a suppressed chuckle; it was going to be a _long_ and _glorious_ few days.


	4. Chapter 4

Qhuinn finally surfaced out of unconsciousness, but for a moment he panicked because he couldn't breathe.

When his mind cleared a little bit, he rationalized that his face was merely buried in a pillow.

With a chuckle at his stupidity, Qhuinn turned his head and opened one of his eyes.

He jolted upwards in alarm. This wasn't his room! Where the hell was he?!

Taking note of the apparent wealth of the room and his clothes scattered across the floor, Qhuinn frowned as he sniffed the air.

The smell of sweat and sex had most of it coming back to him.

He remembered the female he'd found in the middle of her _needing_and how she'd asked him to serve her. Rubbing his eyes, Qhuinn struggled to remember what happened after the two of them had arrived at the hotel, but most of it was a blur. The sex had been incredible, that he still remembered, he thought with a grin. He'd never experienced anything like it before.

His thoughts of the female had him looking around the room once more. With a frown he muttered aloud, "Where did she go anyway?"

A quick look out the window revealed that it was dark, but he didn't think she would just up and leave him in her apartment alone.

Pushing himself to his feet, Qhuinn was surprised at how weak he was. Even the staggering steps he took to the bathroom were extremely tiring.

After he flipped the switch for the lights and waited for his eyes to adjust, Qhuinn gaped at his reflection. He was so much skinnier than he'd been when he first met the female, he could see his ribs and hip bones beneath the skin of his sides. His skin pallor was a lot whiter, almost ghostly. Hickeys and bruises were scattered all over his flesh. The skin of his neck and wrists were red and torn with punctures from Lilith's fangs sinking into his veins. His hair had seen better days, he noted, as he struggled to tame it.

He wondered if Lilith was in a similar state.

Qhuinn quickly searched the rest of the apartment, but he found no trace of the female he'd served.

With a frown, Qhuinn went to gather his clothes for a much-needed shower. Just as he bent down to retrieve his leather pants he spotted the note on the nightstand.

Dropping his leathers, he straightened and picked up the note. It said:

_Leave the key at the front desk.  
Thank You,  
L._

Qhuinn drove his fingers through his hair, ignoring the sharp pain in his chest as he reread the few words she'd written. He studied the letters, the handwriting; she had elegant handwriting. A memory of her hands running over his chest flashed through his mind, but she had the hands of a warrior. He'd never met a female like her: confident and strong, yet somehow fragile. He sighed with regret.

He'd never see her again.

With the note still clutched in the hand at his side, Qhuinn looked out the window.

He didn't even get to say goodbye.

Lilith glanced up at the Mariot, towards the penthouse where she knew Qhuinn slept.

She'd been reluctant to leave the warmth of the bed, from the warmth of him at her side. They'd both worn each other out, she thought with a small, yet satisfied smile. But she knew that she must, she had a duty to her Sisters, to the rest of her race. She couldn't let a male get in the way of that duty, not again.

She'd never see him again.

Closing her eyes in an effort to ward off the wave of regret, Lilith turned away from the hotel and _dematerialized_.

_Goodbye..._

Qhuinn sat before Blay and John, his hands slack between his knees.

He found out that he'd been gone for two days. Two days, he thought a little dazed, two days of hot sex with a sultry female. Could any guy ask for more?

Yes, yes he could. He wanted more of Lilith, and it was a rare thing for Qhuinn to want a female again. And that was what was worrying him.

He'd told his best friends the whole story of his time with the female and he waited for their reactions.

After a bit of silence, John let out a long whistle. Qhuinn looked up to catch the flow of words through his fingers, _You got some good luck, my man._

Qhuinn managed a smile at his friend. He didn't feel very lucky, the female was gone.

A quick peek out of the corner of his eye told him that Blay noticed that he wasn't acting like himself. The red head's gaze was fixated intently on Qhuinn's face.

Pushing down some of his regret, Qhuinn pasted a smile on his face and turned back to John, "You know it man. If I hadn't been in such a hurry to get her horizontal I would have asked you guys to come along too."

From the look on Blay's face, he didn't believe Qhuinn's quick cover-up, but he didn't call him out on it.

With a shake of his head John signed, _You'd better be glad that you got back before classes started back up for this week, or else your ass would have been cooked._

Qhuinn laughed but it was a bit hollow. Glad? He didn't think he'd be glad again for a while.


	5. Chapter 5

_Three Years Later..._

Qhuinn sat beside John, his demeanor relaxed but alert. As John's _ahstrux nohtrum_, it was his job to be on the look out for anything that could harm him.

Now that John and Xhex were mated, being John's bodyguard was becoming increasingly nauseating. Even though Xhex now lived at the mansion and hunted for _lessers_with the brotherhood, she still ran the Iron Mask from a distance. Though, now it was ran more by the Moor twins, she still occasionally came in to work. Most of the time, John insisted on accompanying her; which meant that Qhuinn had to tag along too.

Qhuinn rolled his eyes as Xhex walked by and cast a knowing glance over her shoulder at John, who replied with his puppy-love stare.

It was a good thing that they would be leaving in a few minutes.

Qhuinn got to his feet, "I've got to go scope out the car. Why don't you go follow your lady and spend a little quality time on that fancy desk of hers."

John flashed a grin at that and nodded. With a little bit of a skip to his step, he followed his woman into the back of the club.

Qhuinn let out a gag of disgust at the love birds. It seemed as though every male in the compound was dropping like flies. Tohr and John, who would be next?

Leaving the club, Qhuinn did a quick sweep of the perimeter. A memory surface from the past; a female staggering out of a an alley and flashes of two bodies tangled together on black silk sheets.

It had been three years since he'd woken up alone that night, the blonde female gone. He'd never forgotten Lilith; ever since that night, he'd effortlessly searched for her in the club where he'd caught glances of her. When he stepped out he even looked in the alleyways. But he hadn't had any luck.

When he was inside a human female, her face would flash in his mind and he had to grit his teeth against the pain in his chest.

That note she'd left had been her way of saying goodbye. A way of cutting him out of her life, but why?

The sound of grunts and flesh hitting flesh broke him out of his thoughts.

Qhuinn rolled his eyes, some hooker was doing her magic in the alley instead of in one of the back rooms of the club or the bathroom.

He started to ignore it and turned away when the unmistakable sound of blades clashing rang through the air. There was a fight going on.

Sprinting down the street where the noises were coming from, Qhuinn peered into the darkness.

His sensitive eyes picked up the movements of shadows. Two of them, but he couldn't make out any features; just they're outlines.

This wasn't some drunkard's brawl, he noted. Judging by the jumps and the kicks and punches that the two figures were throwing, this was a battle to the death.

Just as he thought of intervening, one of the figures jumped into the air and flipped over the other's head. In a blink of an eye, an arm lashed out and the a head went flying into the air, landing a few feet away with a wet thud.

The alley which had been filled with the sounds of combat earlier, was now literally dead silent.

The last man standing lifted their arm and pointed their palm at his fallen enemy.

Before Qhuinn's eyes, a blinding, blue light lit up the alley way. Qhuinn hissed and ducked behind the wall and tried to recover from the annihilation of his retinas. _What the fuck was that?!_

His head being slammed into the wall and a knife pressed to his throat had his eyes popping open again. Instinctively, his hand went to his gun at the small of his back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The feminine voice thickly accented with the origins of the Old Country was cold as ice. To make her point hit home, she pressed the knife harder against his flesh, nicking the skin and letting a trickle of blood drip down his neck.

Looking down, Qhuinn studied the female who held his life in her small hands. Her bangs were long and almost covered her eyes, the rest of her blue-black hair fell to her waist and was held back in a braid. Black eyes pierced into his soul with a cool determination.

He studied her clothing; a black tank top and a matching pair of leathers, topped off with combat boots. She was dressed for a fight.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Just as Qhuinn was about to open his mouth to answer her, another voice came from the mouth of the alley.

"Rashelle? What's going on?"

The female holding the knife, backed off a little bit, pulling the slightly knife away from his throat; but not completely releasing him. "My lady, I caught him spying on you."

With the new-found freedom of his jugular, Qhuinn turned his head to look at the newcomer.

And he felt his mouth drop to his ankles.

It was Lilith.


	6. Chapter 6

For a moment, all he could do was stand there with his mouth open, gaping like a fish.

The female he'd been dreaming of for three years was standing right in front of him.

Her icy blue eyes widened in shock at the sight of him. Those full lips parted as she breathed out his name, "Qhuinn."

Qhuinn started to push himself away from the wall, but the chick in front of him slammed him back up it again. "You don't move until I say so."

"Let him go, Rashelle," Lilith told her without taking her eyes from Qhuinn's.

The other female hesitated, but did as she was told. Pulling the knife away from his throat, she stepped away and went to Lilith's side.

Now that he'd regained some of his brain cells, Qhuinn asked, "What are you doing here, Lilith?"

She smiled a little at that and jerked a thumb towards the alley she'd just come from, "I thought that was pretty obvious. Hunting."

"You're hunting for _lessers_?" he asked slowly.

"That's right, slick."

"Are you insane?! You could get hurt, or worse, killed! How can you put yourself in that kind of danger!"

She seemed taken aback by his outburst, but then appeared to recover from her surprise. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared up at him, "I know you saw some of that fight in the alley. So you should know that I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself, Qhuinn!"

"But you're-!" his words were cut short at the intense glare that both females sent his way.

Lilith let out a bark of laughter, "Just because we're female means that we can't fight? Is that right, Qhuinn?"

He shook his head, "No, that's not what I meant at all." It was true, he'd seen Vishous's twin Payne and John's mate Xhex in action; those females were absolutely deadly.

"Then what did you mean?" Lilith asked, her hands on her hips.

Qhuinn gritted his teeth, he was going to say: But you're _mine!_But he wasn't going to tell that to the female that had walked out on him. "You're fighting by yourself." He looked at the dark-haired female, "Where was she while you were fighting."

"Dealing with the other one across the street that had cornered a young male," the darker haired one replied icily.

Lilith grinned, "There you have it."

The ring of a cellphone tore through the night.

Qhuinn started to reach for his pocket, but then he watched Lilith dig in her jacket pocket and pull out a blackberry, "Talk to me."

She turned away to gain privacy and Qhuinn couldn't keep his eyes from skimming down to her perfect ass in those tight pants.

A clearing of a throat beside him had him breaking contact with that gorgeous ass of hers and looking over at the other female.

She was glaring at him, apparently she'd caught him in the act.

Lilith came back, her lips set in a grim line, "Rashelle, we have to go. Kat says that she and Karen have uncovered a nest of _lessers_."

For the first time, Qhuinn saw a light appear in the other female's eyes, "Really? Well, we'd better get over there and crash the party."

Lilith glanced at Qhuinn, then looked away, "Goodbye, Qhuinn." She started to turn away.

"Wait!" he reached out and grabbed her arm. A knife automatically appeared in the female Rashelle's hand as he did so, ready to use it on him.

Without taking her eyes from his face, Lilith told Rashelle, "Go, I'll catch up with you." When Rashelle hesitated, Lilith's voice hardened, "Now."

When the black-haired female vanished, Qhuinn tugged Lilith closer, "I just found you and now you're going to leave again?"

Lilith was silent for a moment, "I never intended to meet again, Qhuinn."

He knew this, but it didn't make it hurt any less, "I don't want you to leave."

Lilith was quiet as she appeared to think. "Where are you staying now?" she asked.

Shaking his head, he replied, "I can't give you the location. I'm living with the Brotherhood now." As slight surprise transformed into a smirk on her face; and when she murmured something about a coincidence, he asked her, "What?"

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "Don't worry about anything, Qhuinn." Removing her hand from his, she turned away and called over her shoulder, "We'll see each other again very soon."

"Lilith, wait-!" he began, reaching for her again. Telling himself that he couldn't let her escape from him again.

She waved, "See ya!" Lilith _dematerialized_.

Standing alone on the sidewalk, Qhuinn found himself deserted by the one female who had ever really mattered to him.

Anger surged through his body. Rearing back his arm, Qhuinn punch the brick wall, "Dammit!" The pain in his knuckles did nothing to stem his anger and hurt.

The familiar whistle did nothing to lighten his mood. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the two lovebirds heading towards him.

_What are you doing? _John asked him.

Turning Qhuinn shook his head, "Nothing."

His friend's eyes went to his hand, _You're bleeding._

Qhuinn glanced down at his knuckles, blood was started to slid down his fingers. Without bothering to answer John's questioning look, Qhuinn asked Xhex, "Can you drive home, I don't want to get the steering wheel covered in blood."

She gave him a funny look, but all the _sympath _said was, "Sure."

As John and he climbed into the back seat of the car, John glanced over at Qhuinn, _What happened? You look like you're pissed off at the world._

It was fairly close to how he actually felt, "Nothing, man. Just drop it."

With that, Qhuinn sat back against the headrest and closed his eyes in an effort to numb the pain in his hand and heart.

Lilith watched Qhuinn and his friends drive away.

Rashelle stood beside her. When Lilith had told her to leave, she loyally hadn't gone far.

"My Lady, is he...?"

Lilith pushed her hair out of her face, "You know I hate it when you call me 'my lady'. And yes, Rashelle, he is."

They both just stood there for a moment, looking in the direction the car had vanished.

The fact that she'd be seeing Qhuinn again very soon, made her both excited and nervous.

With a curse, Lilith turned away, "C'mon, we'd need to go help the others."

Nodding, Rashelle _dematerialized_ with her leader.

Lilith followed her subordinates into the foyer of their home. Shrugging out of her coat, she hung it on the rack by the door and went to the kitchen. While everyone else headed up to their rooms to catch some z's, Lilith poured herself a glass of wine.  
She'd always loved the stuff; it helped her relax.

"What's got your panties in a bunch?"

Lilith glanced towards the doorway and glared at Gabrielle over the rim of her wine glass. Setting down the glass, Lilith raised a brow at the demon, "Don't you have something better to do? Like, annoying Nathaniel, for example?"

The demon stepped into the kitchen, his red eyes focused on hers and the black braid that hung to his backside swaying behind him. "Don't take that tone of voice with me. Some might think you were raised by a demon or something."

"I learned from the best of them."

Gabrielle grinned, flashing sharp canines, "Damn right." He opened the fridge and bent to peer inside at its contents, "The damn angel has been in his office all night so I haven't been able to mess with him. That's something you learned from him; you both get so worried over things." Reaching in, he grabbed a beer, and popped the top. "When you're preoccupied your panties get in a knot. When the angel is working on something he gets his damn halo in a knot. It's kinda weird actually."

Lilith ignored that comment, "I presume you came down here for another reason than to just bug me."

"What happened tonight?" He got straight to the point.

Lilith sighed and braced her hands on the counter, "I ran into Qhuinn tonight."

"Ah," Garbielle said as he took a swig of his beer.

"He's staying with the Brotherhood."

Nodding, the demon said, "And that's bad since that might make it easier for him to find out about your little secret, huh?"

Lilith ran a hand over her face, "I wasn't ever supposed to see him again, Gabe."

He shrugged, "That's too bad, Lil. You've been given an order and it's in your best interest to follow it. You're going to have to come into contact with Qhuinn now, and quite often too."

Pushing away from the fridge where he had been leaning, he went to her and patted her on the shoulder, "Get some sleep. You're going to need it."

Throwing back the rest of her wine, she set it in the sink, "Yeah, you're right. I will." She went to the stairs on the other side of the kitchen doorway and paused. "You know Nathaniel calls you 'the Horny Devil' behind your back."

Snorting, the demon took another gulp, "That's not even clever."

"He also asks himself when you're going to go off the deep end and go all _Excorcist_on us. He swears sometimes he sees your head spinning around on your neck."

That got a chuckle out of him, "He needs some tips on insulting people. Maybe I'll start his lessons tomorrow night."

Lilith smiled, "Goodnight, Gabe."

He nodded to her, "Night, Lil."


	7. Chapter 7

"My Lady, are you ready?"

Lilith turned away from the tv, where she's been watching the news. Humans, she thought, always reported the bad; never the good.

Rashelle and another one of the Sisters, Kat, stood behind her, waiting patiently. Like Rashelle, Kat was a female from a troubled background and hardly ever showed emotion on her pretty face. Dark brown hair was cut in a stylish bob a little above her shoulders and she preferred her side bangs long to hide the scar on the left side of her face.

Like her, both Kat and Rashelle were dressed in leathers, skin-tight black tank tops, and combat boots; though Lilith had yet to put hers on. They were armed, but less so than they usually were.

They were making a house call, after all.

Smiling, Lilith answered her second-in-command, "I'm ready. You ladies ready to go meet the king?"

Rashelle flashed one of her rare smiles and nodded, "Yes, my lady."

Kat didn't share her smile, "He is no king of mine." Her steel-gray eyes didn't leave Lilith.

Lilith nodded to the female in understanding. Many of the Sisterhood didn't follow the Blind King; in their eyes, Lilith was their Queen.

Turning, Lilith went to the foyer and slipped on her combat boots. "Who knows," she added over her shoulder. "Maybe you girls will find a hunky Warrior who will let you nibble on his neck."

Rashelle laughed and though Kat did not smile, a flash of amusement shined briefly in her eyes.

All ready, Lilith looked at her sisters, "Let's go piss some males off."

Then they _dematerialized_.

Qhuinn had just exited the kitchen with a sandwich in hand. John and Xhex were rocking the bed upstairs and since his room was right next to theirs he'd thought that vacating the area was for the best.

Fritz appeared out of the dining room, he was in the middle of preparing for First Meal.

Qhuinn nodded in greeting to the _doggen_, but frowned when the little man gaped at him.

Looking down, Qhuinn made sure that he'd remembered to put on his pants and zip up. Everything was good.

Opening his mouth to ask Fritz what was wrong, he stopped when he realized that Fritz was actually looking past him.

He turned around and his jaw nearly fell to his bare feet for the second time this week.

Lilith stood in the foyer, her honey-blond hair hung loose in waves around her body. The dark-haired female he'd met last night stood behind her along with a brunette he'd never seen.

She looked around the room, studying the place and then nodded as if she was impressed.

How the fuck did she get past the security systems?!

Just then she looked over and noticed him. She smiled brightly and waved.

He remembered how she'd said they would meet soon after she knew where he lived. This was what she meant, he realized.

"Hi, Qhuinn."

Rashelle glared at him while the new girl blinked at him in confusion.

Still shocked, all Qhuinn could do was lift a hand in greeting.

Fritz hurried over to the three women, looking frantic. "I'm sorry, my ladies. But you cannot be in here."

Lilith held up a hand, "Don't worry. I've been sent by the Scribe Virgin to see Wrath."

The little man, was silent for a moment. "I'll go and see if the King will see you." Then he hurried up the stairs and was gone.

Qhuinn went to Lilith, "So, you're here to see Wrath?"

She didn't take her eyes off of the stairs, "That's right."

"About what?"

She looked up at him from under her lashes, "Now that would ruin the surprise."

He started to say something, but Fritz came back.

"My Lord will see you now. But he said you must understand that you will need to be relieved of your weapons."

Lilith inclined her head, "Of course, I understand."

"Then please follow me."

She cast a glance at Qhuinn before following Fritz up the stairs.

Qhuinn followed behind the other females.

Once they got to Wrath's office, two of the Brothers, Vishous and Rhage, stood outside the door.

They held out their hands, "Please hand us your weapons."

Lilith lifted her shirt and took a Beretta out of the holster at the lower part of her back and the knife in her boot and slapped them into Rhage's awaiting hands. Stepping back, she sent him a smug smile, "That's it for me, handsome. My girls have more."

Qhuinn could see that by the pile that was forming in V's hands.

Rhage eyed her skeptically, "Why do they have more than you?"

She shrugged, "They're here as protection, though I don't really need it." With a grin filled with fangs she said, "If I wanted to kill you Warriors, I wouldn't need any weapons."

They both tensed up at that statement. But she held up her hands in surrender, "Relax, I came here to talk, that's all."

After the two brothers frisked the three females for any concealed weapons, they stood aside and V held one of the doors open, "You can go in now."

Lilith started through the door, but stopped and looked up at Vishous, "You look just like your father." When his eyes widened, she added, "But those eyes. They're your mother's. I'm here because of her, Warrior. You know how manipulative she can be; don't you, cousin?"

Without waiting for a reply she stalked into Wrath's office, her guards behind her.

Qhuinn started to follow, but Vishous and Rhage held him back, "Not this time, kid."

He started to argue, but they just shook their heads.

Without any other choice, Qhuinn sat down to wait. He wanted to know what Lilith's purpose was for being here, and he was going to wait around until he found out.

Lilith's first impression of Wrath was that he was intimidating. Though he was blind, it was obvious he was aware of everything and everyone in the room.

He, she thought, was a man who drew respect from others. It was the reason he was so suited to the role of king.

He got right to the point, "Who the hell are you? And how did you get into my home?!"

The dark-haired female beside the King was studying Lilith with curiosity.

"My name is Lilith and me and the others got here by _dematerializing_ into the building."

Wrath's attention focused even more sharply, if that was possible. "The only way you could _dematerialize_ into this building is if you know the layout and where we were located to begin with. You knew both these things, how?"

Lilith laced her fingers together, "I've known that one of the brothers was living here for around a hundred years. I got my computer tech to hack into the security system, just before Vishous set up house here, and get the blueprints for the mansion. When I heard about the explosion and that the mansion was still being used, I figured the Brotherhood had taken up refuge here. It wasn't hard to figure out."

"Why are you here?" Wrath growled. His aggravation that someone knew where they lived, and had for a century, obvious.

"Whoa, don't blame me, Wrath. It wasn't my decision to come here; it was the Scribe Virgin's."

That had one of the King's eyebrows raising, "Then why didn't she let me know about this?"

Lilith paced around the room, studying some of the things that decorated the King's office, "Annalise isn't very good at dealing with people. Me, she can't stand that I won't obey her and is always coming up with ways to annoy me. I think that she wanted me to tell you so that you would turn your anger on me and not her."

"Why would the Scribe Virgin take up such an interest in your affairs? What makes you so special?"

With a laugh, Lilith spread her arms out, "Because we are family. I am her niece. And, before you ask; yes, Vishous and Payne are my cousins."

"Family?"

"It is too complicated to explain. But if you don't take my word for it," she held up her hand and blue light started to emit from her palm. With glowing eyes, she looked at the Queen, "Tell your _hellren_ that the same power that Vishous possesses, I too possess."

When Beth confirmed it for him; Wrath frowned in Lilith's direction, "I'll ask it again. Why are you here?"

Lilith placed a hand over her chest, "I am the leader of a group similar to the Black Dagger Brotherhood. It is called The Black Rose Sisterhood; I created it two hundred and fifty years ago and have been in the United States for a hundred of those years."

"The Black Rose Sisterhood?" Wrath asked in clarification.

"Yes, we go out and hunt for _lessers_, just as you do. The only difference really is that we consist of females only."

"How many are in this Sisterhood?"

"Six, soon to be seven once our youngest goes through the _transition_."

Wrath nodded to the two females behind her, "Are those some of them behind you?"

Lilith nodded even though Wrath couldn't see it, "Rashelle is my second-in-command and Kat is my expert on interrogation."

"Who trained these females for battle?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"I did," she answered. "I've trained each and every one of them." She continued, "The Scribe Virgin feels that since the war is progressing, she believes that we should combine our forces in order to wipe out the _lessening society_"

For a moment, no one in the room spoke. Wrath sat back in his chair and rubbed his hand over his chin in thought, "Join forces, huh? I wouldn't object to the extra help against the _lessers_. But how are we to do that when we live in opposite locations?"

Lilith grinned, "That's not a problem. You just met your neighbor."

"What?" Wrath seemed shocked.

"There's no need to bring over a 'welcome to the neighborhood cake' or anything. The fact is Wrath, we've been living three houses down from you for quite some time now. When I first learned that the former brother Darius owned this mansion just down the road to mine, I knew I had to act. Since I figured that we'd eventually have to merge together, I thought it would be best to build an underground tunnel to this mansion, connecting through the basement."

Wrath was speechless for a minute, then he chuckled a bit, "You're quite clever, aren't you?"

"I've had to be," she replied.

"I'll have to think a little bit about joining the groups together. How will I get in touch with you?"

"I'll be back in two days. Give me an answer by then."

Wrath stood and held out a hand to her, "I appreciate it."

Lilith took the hand and studied the face of the one who ruled the vampire race. With her hand still in his she said, "I'm glad you stopped sneaking out to fight, Wrath. Because if you had died without an heir, I would've been forced to be Queen. And I want nothing to do with that job." She dropped his hand and stepped back and bowed to the king, "I'll take my leave now. I'll be back again, goodbye."

After the three females left, Beth looked up at Wrath, "What did she mean that she would be Queen?"

Wrath shook his head, "I don't know, _leelan_." But he intended to find out.


	8. Chapter 8

Qhuinn got to his feet when Lilith emerged from Wrath's office. She smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up, "Mission accomplished."

"And the mission would be?"

Shaking her head and with a coy smile, she said, "Uh-uh, I'm not saying anything until the final decision has been reached."

A bit aggravated that he wasn't getting any answers out of her, Qhuinn struggled against the urge to shake her.

The females reclaimed their weapons from Rhage and Vishous. Ignoring the curious glances of the brothers, Lilith sheathed her knife and tucked her gun back in its holster.

Lilith gave a bow to the Brothers and Qhuinn, "Now, I think it's time I take my leave." She turned and started towards the stairs.

She was not getting away from him again! He reached out grabbed her arm and brought her back against his chest.

Lilith's guards were instantly alert and they'd already had a gun in their hands.

Leaning down, Qhuinn said in Lilith's ear, "I'm not letting you go so easily this time, Lilith. You are going to sit down and talk to me, whether you like it or not."

He watched as she held up a hand for her girls to stay, "Go ahead and head back home. I'll stay here for a little bit longer."

When neither of the females moved, she said, "I'll be fine. Go, that's an order."

With a quick look at each other, the females _dematerialized_.

Lilith turned in Qhuinn's arms, "Okay, now what?"

Qhuinn glanced at the brothers and then took her arm and lead her away from the office, "Now, we go somewhere without an audience."

Lilith smiled at the back of Qhuinn's head.

This should be interesting.

Wrath faced the Scribe Virgin while on his knees.

"I know why you have come, Wrath."

He bowed his head, "Then you know what I want to ask."

She waved a hand at him, "Rise." The goddess nodded as he did as she asked, "You wish to know all about the female Lilith, correct?"

Wrath nodded.

The Scribe Virgin sighed, "I am not the only goddess under God reign; there are others much like myself. One goddess in particular, Arnetta, was the goddess of the elements. She was my sister."

In the courtyard, the Scribe Virgin went to run her hand over the surface of the water of her fountain while Wrath stood still and waited.

"Just as there are many gods and goddesses, there are also many demons like the Omega that call the Devil their father. The highest and most powerful of these was Broman. Despite all odds and objections the demon and the goddess fell in love."

A chuckle came from the hood of her cloak, "It sounds like something you'd read in a romance novel, but it's true. Soon, Arnetta became pregnant with the child of a demon. When heaven and hell found out about the two of them; they were banished to Earth and their immortal powers were drained.

The two lovers took refuge in the sophisticated city of Atlantis, where Arnetta gave birth to twins, both female."

Wrath was shocked, "Atlantis, but that was-"

The hood of the Scribe Virgin's cloak nodded, "That was over three-thousand years ago."

The Scribe Virgin's hood turned and Wrath felt her focus shift back to him, "Tell me, Warrior. What do you think happens when you mix a heavenly being with a demon?"

At his silence she responded to her own question, "A vampire. Lilith and her twin Rosiel were the first vampires in existence; I molded the vampire race after the two of them."

"So when she said that she would be Queen if I had died without a child, it's because she is technically also a pureblood and would qualify to rule the race."

"That is correct, Warrior." A tinkling of a laugh came from the black-robed figure, "You are wondering why I chose you to rule instead of Lilith. Am I right?"

Wrath bowed his head, "Yes."

"There are two main reasons why I chose you, Wrath, son of Wrath, instead of Lilith. First, she had no wish, whatsoever, to rule. Lilith outright refused when I brought the subject up. Second, she is unstable."

The confusion on his face must have shown, because she continued, "The city of Atlantis was advanced far beyond its years. While living in the city, Arnetta and Broman along with their daughters, a prophet saw the little family and started spouting that there were demons living among them. Many people didn't listen to a word he said, figuring he was full of nonsense. But there was one man, who listened, and believed.

Lucas Kemption had Arnetta, her husband and children captured and imprisoned into a laboratory. They were powerless to stop them without their unearthly powers. He believed that with a demon, Atlantis would have the most powerful army in the world. He took one of the four-year-old girls and experimented on her."

It didn't take a genius to figure out which one, "That child was Lilith."

Nodding, the Scribe Virgin continued, "He only experimented on one, because he wanted to keep one in case the other died during the experiments. Neither of the twins showed signs of being a demonic creature like their sire. So, daily, he would have some of her imprisoned father's blood injected into her. They did all they could to stimulate her demonic side; shock therapy, wounds, fights with dogs, and other things that a child should never be put through. But nothing worked. Soon, Lilith became quite ill; the pure demon blood was taking over in her system and the different types were waging war against each other. They saved her life by injecting her mother's blood into her veins. The two opposite blood types equalized and Lilith recovered."

She paused for a moment, as if she were afraid to go on. "That was short-lived, however. One day, Broman broke out of his prison and attempted to free his family. He managed to free Arnetta before they were both killed; their heads severed from their bodies. The girls witnessed their parents' demise."

Wrath sympathized. Though he hadn't been a young child, he'd witnessed his own parents' murder and he knew the kind of scars that one could get from seeing something like that.

"Something snapped inside of Lilith and her demonic blood consumed her. She transformed into a full fledged demon and slaughtered every man in that labratory in a matter of minutes. When heaven and hell found out that one of their own had been killed by humans, they destroyed the entire city. That is the real reason why Atlantis sank."

Wrath couldn't believe it. A four-year-old girl had killed multiple men.

"By the look on your face, I can tell that you don't quite believe that a young female could kill. Lilith's demon side is incredibly deadly. Even now, she barely has control when her demonic side rears its ugly head. Ever since that day, she's had a problem with her blood; the different types constantly fight inside of her. When she sustains  
an injury and loses a good deal of blood, one of the sides will overwhelm the other. In order to do gain control, she must ingest the blood of either a holy being or a devilish one. So she wouldn't kill the entire human race, God and the Devil sent one of their own to care for the child who is of both worlds."

"Now, I get back to the second reason that she cannot be the ruler of the race," The Scribe Virgin went on. "If Lilith loses control and she is unable to ingest blood immediately, she would completely lose herself to her demonic form."

A sad smile came into the Scribe Virgin's voice, "In other words; the granddaughter of God and Satan would completely destroy the human race. Then, she would most likely turn her attentions on the vampire race."

Qhuinn shut the door to his room after Lilith walked in. He wasn't sure where else to take her, so he'd brought her here.

Though, as he thought about it more, it probably wasn't the brightest idea.

She looked way too damn good in his room.

As if she had read his mind, she glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled slowly, and deliberately at him.

The hot look in her eyes, sent a jolt of pure lust down to his groin. He bet she practiced that look in the mirror in order to perfect the ease of seducing men.

She turned to face him and brushed her hair back from her face. Her eyes glinted with female satisfaction when his eyes followed the subtle movement of her breasts with the motion. "What did you want to talk about, Qhuinn?"

What _did_ he want to talk about? He couldn't seem to remember.

When he didn't answer right away, Lilith seated herself on the edge of his bed and cocked her head to the side, "Qhuinn?"

Dammit, she knew what she was doing to him. And she was egging it on.

He didn't care.

When she crossed her legs and blinked up at him innocently, he very nearly pounced on her. "Why did you leave?" he suddenly blurted.

He saw the amusement fade from her eyes, "What did you expect to happen, Qhuinn? Did you think that two strangers would fuck their brains out and live happily ever after?"

No, he hadn't and he said so.

She threw up her hands, "Then what did you expect from me? Was I supposed to wake up beside you, blush prettily and watch you make your excuses to and leave? I don't thinks so."

Unable to come up with a comeback, he just said, "You still could have at least said goodbye."

"I didn't want to wake you up."

He didn't believe it, but he didn't call her out on it.

She got up from the bed and went to the door. Reaching past him for the door knob, she said, "It was a one-night-stand, Qhuinn, well, two-night-stand, if you want to be precise. But it meant nothing, so just forget about it."

He dragged her against him so fast that she didn't have time to blink.

Wrapping a hand in her long hair, Qhuinn dragged her mouth up to his, "Don't you ever call what happened between us a one-night-stand!"

Turning her, he maneuvered her to the bed. Her knees caught on the edge and she tumbled back onto the covers.

Qhuinn covered her body with his and got lost in that glorious mouth of hers.

Lilith had expected the sex. She'd been provoking him towards that end.

But she hadn't expected that he would get so angry over what she'd said about their time together.

Later, she would think long and hard about his reaction. But, right now, all she could do was get lost in Qhuinn and what he did to her body.

She didn't protest when he pushed up her tank top and her bra. He growled with approval when her hands ripped his t-shirt in half and tossed the pieces across the room.

He was full of anger, anger aimed at her; and he was taking it out on her in this way.

She didn't mind one bit.

Lilith grabbed Qhuinns shoulders and flipped him over onto his back and climbed up onto him.

She quickly removed his belt and started unbuttoning his fly.

As she moved down his body, she looked up at Qhuinn's face through her lashes. His head was thrown back and his hand was reaching for her hair. He was under her control.

Her lips peeled back from her fangs as she smiled in satisfaction; that was exactly where she wanted him.


	9. Chapter 9

Qhuinn woke from his slumber and was not surprised at all to find himself alone in the bed.

She'd disappeared again.

Wiping a hand over his face, Qhuinn sat up. Dammitt, he'd let himself be used again. Not that he exactly minded being used in that way by a drop-dead gorgeous female, but for some reason it felt empty.

Getting to his feet, he padded naked across the room and into the bathroom. Catching his reflection, he winced at the puncture wounds on his neck where Lilith had sunk her fangs into his throat. His back also stung a bit from where her nails had raked over his flesh.

As he ran the water in the shower and stepped inside, Qhuinn thought about the female that was turning his life upside down. He really needed to sit her down and talk to her without jumping her bones.

He wanted to know exactly who she was and how she'd came to be in that alleyway. Last but not least, he wanted to ask her if she'd consider sticking around. After all, they were spectacular in bed together.

Yup, he decided as he washed his hair. He was going to get answers out of Lilith when he saw her again.

"I thought I sensed somebody snooping."

Lilith didn't jump at the cool voice behind her, "What do you want, Ro?"

The Black Rose Sisterhood's medic stood only a few paces behind her, her arms folded.

As the only Sister that didn't fight against the _lessers_, Rowena was actually the second female to join the Sisterhood. With her gorgeous peaches and cream complexion and her long burgundy locks that she usually kept in a bun, she was a catch for any male. It wasn't a surprise to Lilith when she had chosen a male named Drhake as her _hellren_ a few years ago. Since then, the two of them have lived happily here in the mansion.

Right now, her brows were furrowed over her glasses; and she looked annoyingly professional in that white lab coat of hers.

"I want to know why you're raiding my cabinets."

Lilith continued to rummage through the contents of the cabinets despite the annoyed glare aimed at her back, "I'm looking for something. I thought that would be obvious."

She rolled her eyes when she heard the clack of Rowena's heels across the tile floor as she crossed the room, "You wouldn't be looking for the bruise reducing balm would you?"

Looking over her shoulder, Lilith saw the balm she'd been looking for in her medic's hands, "That would be it."

As she went to retrieve it, Rowena moved it out of her reach, "You didn't fight last night. So why do you need this, Lil?" The answer dawned in the female's blue eyes, "You didn't."

"Don't judge me right now, Ro. I'm not in the mood for it," Lilith growled.

This time when she reached for the balm, Rowena let her have it. As she applied the balm to the bruises on her arms, she could feel her medic's eyes on her, "What?!"

"What happened to never seeing him again?"

Lilith removed her shirt with an angry tug and applied some more of the balm to her breasts and shoulders, "I didn't mean for it to happen. It seems that Fate had other plans for Qhuinn and I."

Finished applying the balm, Lilith pulled her shirt back on and turned to hand Rowena the remainder of the medicine, "I'm just going with the flow."

Rose took the tube but didn't take her eyes away, "I just don't want you to be hurt again."

Lilith knew that she hadn't meant physically. Turning away she replied as she headed towards the door, "That won't happen, Ro. Qhuinn is just a plaything, nothing more."

After she was gone, Rose still stared at the empty doorway with a look of sympathy and sadness, "You're a liar, My Lady. And you know it."

Lilith entered her chambers and shut the door quietly behind her.

She wished she felt as cold inside as she made Rowena and the others believe. It would make letting go so much easier.

She was destined to not have a mate. Hadn't the incident with James taught her that? No male could understand what she was and she didn't blame them.

Lilith kicked off her jeans but kept the oversized t-shirt on. She'd taken it out of Qhuinn's drawer before she'd fled the Brotherhood's mansion; she liked smelling his scent on it.

Making her way to her dresser, she sat down before the mirror and watched her reflection as she brushed out the tangles in her long hair.

There was no way she could have Qhuinn, she thought. She had to let him go somehow. It wasn't going to be easy. If Wrath accepted her offer, and she knew he would, then it wouldn't be easy at all to avoid him.

Sighing, she set down her brush and got to her feet, she would sleep on the predicament. Maybe something would come to her in her dreams.

She didn't need a male, Lilith thought as she crossed the room. She had a family; Gabe and Nathaniel and the Sisters. Lilith's eyes lit with tenderness as she came to the antique crib.

She also had her own little miracle, who was now awake and looking up at her with icy blue eyes so much like her own. The hint of green in the left eye and the silky black hair were the mark of her daughter's sire.

Lilith reached into the crib and lifted Hope into her arms.

The chubby little face spread into a smile and a laugh as she wrapped her arms around Lilith's neck, burying her face into her shoulder.

For a moment, she wished for Hope to inhale the scent of the shirt; to inhale the scent of her father who she had yet to meet and may soon enough.


	10. Chapter 10

The two days she'd given Wrath had passed and Lilith was preparing for the return journey to the Black Dagger Brotherhood's mansion.

"Come back here, you little rascal!"

Lilith looked up as the youngest female, other than her daughter, entered the room behind Hope. While Lilith was out fighting, her young computer tech Zoe was the babysitter of nearly three-year-old Hope.

Speaking of the little devil, her daughter was toddling towards her mother with outstretched arms, babbling away happily.

With a grin, Lilith knelt down and scooped her daughter into her arms. Kissing the top of her black curls, she said, "Did you come to see Mommy off, my darling?"

Zoe approached with a fangless smile, "Ever since she learned to walk it's been harder to keep up with her. She likes to run."

Lilith smiled at Zoe. The pretty blonde with the huge brown eyes was the latest edition to the Black Sisterhood. In just twelve short months, she would go through the _transition_ and be officially inducted into the Sisterhood. Though she dressed casually and in brighter colors than the rest of the Sisterhood, Lilith had trained Zoe herself ever since she'd found the female infant abandoned in a dumpster twenty-four years ago. Zoe was a highly skilled warrior as well as a genius when it came to computers, though she usually dressed in jean shorts and bright t-shirts with cartoons on them.

Today's shirt was bright pink with a rather angry piece of bread popping out of a toaster declaring: _You're Toast!_ on the front of it. Lilith bit back a chuckle, Zoe had a funny taste in t-shirts all right.

Lilith jiggled Hope on her hip, "She's full of energy. In a few more years Mama will teach you how to fight. Yes she will!" She managed to bite back her grin at the look of alarm on Zoe's face.

Zoe managed to shake of her shock and asked Lilith, "Do you think the King will agree to combine the Sisterhood and the Brotherhood?"

Smirking, she answered the younger female, "He has no choice."

Zoe cocked her head to the side, a move that reminded Lilith of a puppy, and asked, "Then why did you give him time to think about the arrangement then?"

She sent a her a sly look, "Sometimes, males need to feel as though they are in control."

Zoe laughed.

Diane walked into the room holding a nasty looking gun in her hand. Her latest project, Lilith guessed. The female was a weapon maniac.

"Diane, not that I don't love the beautiful machines you come up with, but can you please stop fiddling with it and get ready to go?"

The female lifted head of wild black curls, gave a mock face of dismay that was mirrored in her violet eyes, and cradled the weapon to her chest like her child, "But, Boss! It's my baby!"

"I swear, she loves weapons so damn much that I think she prefers them to males sometimes," Karen drawled as she came to stand behind Diane.

Diane glared at the redhead whose hair was as straight as hers was curly, "Only neanderthals fight with their fists, Karen."

The hand-to-hand expert sent her a look from under her lashes, her emerald-green eyes gleaming with amusement, "Now you've done it, now I have to hurt you. Where did I put my wooden club?"

Lilith rolled her eyes at the exchange, the two females would be accompanying her tonight. She wanted all her girls familiar with the Brotherhood's home.

Glancing at the grandfather clock on the other side of the living room, Lilith kissed Hope on the cheek and handed her back to Zoe. "If you need any help, or if you need a break for a bit, get Nathaniel or Gabe to help you. It's not like the two of them do anything important around here anyways."

"Hey, I resent that remark!"

Nathaniel poked his head around the corner of the doorway that lead to the kitchen. His blond hair was disheveled and his pale green eyes were glazed, which told her that he'd just woken up and hadn't had his coffee yet.

"You look terrible, Nate."

He glared at her, "I'm going to kill that demon one of these days."

Lilith barely managed to keep a straight face, "What did Gabe do this time?"

"He barged into my room banging pots and pans together!"

She bit her lip in an attempt to keep from laughing, "I'll speak to him."

The angel's eyes narrowed at her in contempt, "You'll do no such thing. I know you and that bastard will have a nice good laugh about it in your office. Then he will walk out of the room pretending to be pissed as if you scolded him."

He was right, but she didn't say so. She just smiled brightly.

Nathaniel gave her a look of disgust, turned away and disappeared into the kitchen while mumbling, "I need my damn coffee."

As soon as he was gone, all four females burst into laughter. The prank war going on between the angel and the demon was a major source of entertainment for everyone in the household.

Once they calmed down, Lilith gave Hope another peck on the cheek, "Bye, Sweetie." She waved to Zoe as she, Karen, and Diane headed to the door, "See you later."

"I'll order some pizza to celebrate your accomplishment. We'll all chow down once you guys get back!"

The three grinned before they disappeared.

Once again, Lilith found herself in the Blind King's office.

And, once again, Wrath got right down to business, "I'm accepting your proposal."

She didn't bother to hide her satisfied smile.

Leaning forward in his chair, "I need to discuss things with you. Privately," he added with a meaningful nod towards Karen and Diane.

Lilith felt her girls tense up behind her. She noted their concern, but since she was fairly sure what it was that the king wanted to talk about it was alright. "Fine. Diane, Kare, step outside please."

They hesitated but she sent them a hard look over her shoulder and they left.

Once the door had closed behind them, Wrath observed, "They are very loyal to you."

She didn't reply, but waited. When minutes went by without him speaking she said, "Let me take a guess. Annaliase told you about my past, is that correct?"

When he nodded, she sighed, "That explains why you're so careful around me." Straightening her shoulders Lilith spoke with an edge to her voice, "You don't need to worry about me suddenly demonizing on you. I've got both a demon and an angel that live with me and if I need to, I ingest their blood."

"The Scribe Virgin asked for a request," Wrath started.

Uh-oh, Lilith thought as her eyes narrowed, she wasn't going to like this, "What?"

He sighed, "She wants you to not fight, like me."

Rolling her eyes, Lilith threw herself into the chair opposite Wrath's, "She's pulled this one on me before. I refused. Why does she think I would agree this time?"

Shrugging his massive shoulders he said, "She just said that you have more to lose this time around. Whatever that means."

Lilith stiffened, her aunt had been talking about Hope. The Scribe Virgin wasn't wrong, she did have more to lose than the last time she'd asked. Now that she had Hope, the request to stay home and play with her daughter all day seemed like paradise.

She'd be bored in three days.

Not that being with Hope could ever be boring. But the time when she was asleep, what would she do then? Lay in bed all day and stare at the ceiling?

"I'll think about it," she grumbled.

Black eyebrows shot above wrap-around glasses in surprise, he apparently hadn't thought she'd even consider it. He would have fought tooth and nail to continue fighting the enemy if he'd had a chance.

Sitting back in her chair, Lilith eyed the King of the Vampires, "So, are we officially joined? The Brotherhood and the Sisterhood."

What other choice did he have, Wrath thought to himself gruffly. Extending his hand out to her, he said, "Welcome to the family, Sister."

Her lips peeling back in a grin, Lilith let her hand be enveloped by Wrath's, "It's good to be here."

Releasing his hand, she cocked her head and asked, "So how are we going to break this to the children?"

Wrath couldn't help but laugh.


	11. Chapter 11

Lilith walked down the hall with Wrath and his _shellan_ Beth at her side, heading to the Great Hall. Wrath had sent all of the Brothers, and their _shellans_, a message to meet in there for an announcement. She herself had already sent Karen and Diane back to the mansion to gather up the other females and bring them over as well. Gabriel and Nathaniel were to remain at home and take care of Hope.

She had no intention of revealing her daughter to Qhuinn if she could help it.

The Queen peered past her _hellren's_ body to focus on Lilith, "So, you're Warriors are coming through a hidden passageway in our Complex from one in your own mansion?"

Lilith grinned, "Pretty sneaky, huh?"

Shaking her head, Beth smiled, "It's hard to believe that an organization so like our own has been so close for so long."

"No one is more surprised than I, _leelan_," Wrath said grimly.

Chuckling, Lilith glanced at the Blind King, "Lighten up, Wrath. My sneakiness makes me a great partner. I think of strategies you'd wished you could dream of."

Wrath halted and so did Lilith and Beth, George sat obediently at his master's feet. Lilith blinked up at Wrath when he turned his sightless gaze on her. "Sometimes," he said irritably, "when you let that humor of yours slip out; I'm torn between laughing and hitting you upside the head."

With a wicked smile on her face, Lilith started back down the hall again with a shrug, "I just have that effect on people I guess."

When they walked into the Great Hall, Lilith discovered that none of the Sisters were there yet. But the Brothers and their _shellans_ were lounged around the room.

All talk silenced when they entered.

Lilith could feel the questioning stares aimed at her, including Qhuinn's. She ignored them.

"Should we wait on the rest?" Wrath asked.

Shaking her head, she replied, "Nah, my girls already know what's going down. You can inform your guys and we can make the intros later."

Stepping forward, Lilith smiled and waved, "Howdy, neighbors! For those of you that haven't met me yet; My name's Lilith."

Qhuinn was staring, but he couldn't seem to help himself.

It was a shocker to see Lilith arrive in the room with the King and Queen. The cheerful way she introduced herself didn't help matters.

He watched as the sweetness drained from her face in an instant and she became a seriously deadly looking female. She was fuckin' hot as hell!

Folding her arms across her chest, Lilith eyed each of the Brothers with a cool look, "I'm the leader of the Black Rose Sisterhood. A group such as this that hunts for _lessers_ as well. While The Black Dagger Brotherhood only contains males, the Sisterhood only allows females."

She let the murmurs of surprise die down before she continued, "The war has been raging on for a centuries and nothing seems to be changing. The Scribe Virgin has suggested that the two Warrior groups should combine to fight against the _lessening society_. We'll share the information we know and you do the same."

The blond warrior with the movie star good looks raised his hand.

One brow lifted, Lilith inclined her head, "Yes?"

"How do we know if you guys are any good? Shouldn't we see some proof or something? All we have to go on is your word."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously on the blond warrior. A growl wanted to rise up in her throat, but she contained it. A thought popped into her head and then her scowl transformed into a heavenly smile, "Sure, I can give you a demonstration if you want. Step up here, please."

As the male stepped forward, everyone else backed up. Giving them some space.

Hands linked behind her back, Lilith cocked her head to the side, the smile still pasted on her face. "I'm going to subdue you, Warrior. As painless as possible, I assure you. Try to stop me."

Shrugging, Rhage snorted, "Sure thing, no prob-."

In a movement that was almost too fast for the naked eye, Lilith flipped the over the Warrior's head and landed softly behind him. She grabbed the back of his t-shirt and lifted the male over her head with one arm without even breaking a sweat.

Laughing, Lilith said, "C'mon, Warrior. Stop me!"

Snarling, Rhage tried to twist out of her grip, she let him. Stepping back, she watched as the Warrior landed on his feet.

At full speed, Rhage lunged for her. Easily side-stepping his attack, Lilith snatched the blade at the male's side. Setting it between her teeth, Lilith jumped onto Rhage's shoulders and hooked her legs around his head. Flinging her weight backwards, she flipped the Warrior's muscled body over hers and onto the floor. His face and body hit the  
floor with such force that the furniture trembled.

From her crouched position, Lilith straightened and embedded the knife in the rug beside the blond's head.

Straightening again, she surveyed the silent room, "Anybody else have any doubts about our abilities?"

They shook their heads.

Lilith nodded with approval, "Good."

Clapping erupted from the doorway and everyone turned to face the newcomers.

Karen, Diane, and Zoe clapped with wide grins plastered on their faces while Kat and Rashelle looked on with small smiles. Rowena and her _hellren_, Drhake, brought up the rear, their hands entwined.

Karen put her fingers to her lips and whistled, "Excellent, My Lady! Just incredible. Hand-to-hand at its best!" Her emerald eyes twinkling, she elbowed Diane, "Doesn't it make you want to put down those toys of yours and learn a real way of fighting?"

Diane let out a gasp and yanked her hand-made gun out of her hip holster and clutched it to her. She put a hand on each side of the gun and glared mockingly at Karen, "Don't talk that way in front of my baby! He can hear you know."

At the beginning of their bickering, Zoe had pulled out her PSP and had already started her game. She didn't look up as she told the two older females blandly, "Would you two stop yapping? Jeez, you're acting like children."

Karen and Diane exchanged a look, then both of their faces broke out in grins. Karen reached over and snatched the game device out of Zoe's hands.

"Hey! Give it back, I was about to beat my high score!" Zoe reached for her game in Karen's hands.

The redheaded tossed the game to Diane who caught it easily, but gently. "What's the matter, Brainiac? It's just a video game."

"Diane, give it back now!" Zoe ran at her and the dark-haired female let out a laugh before taking off.

"I wanna play tag too, guys," Karen shouted and chased after the other two.

When they left, silence filled the room.

Sighing heavily, Lilith said without turning around, "Rashelle?"

Rashelle nodded and turned away, "I'll go after them." She too disappeared, Kat followed silently on her heels. Rowena and Drhake exchanged a shrug, but remained where they were.

Lilith looked up at Wrath, "Sorry, I try to teach them manners. But it sort of goes through one ear and out the other."

Wrath's mouth lifted a bit, "Actually, I was just thinking they have the same sense of humor as you."

Letting out a huff of mock irritation, Lilith turned away and crossed her arms over her chest.

Rashelle and Kat returned with the other three smiling females in tow.

Chuckling, Beth looked over at her, "Shouldn't we make the introductions now?"

After the pleasantries were exchanged and as the room grew silent while each side studied the other Lilith thought of an important key point that she brought up with Wrath. "We need to establish some kind of rotation. It's going to be tough since they're so many more of you than us."

Wrath was silent for a moment as he pondered the dilemma. He finally shrugged and said, "I'll figure something out and get back to you. Or if you think of anything I'm sure you'll call me. I'm pretty sure that you've already got my office line in your address book anyway."

Grinning Lilith dug into her pocket and handed him a card, "That's okay. Cause' now you have mine." She ignored the bark of his laugh and glanced at her watch with a frown.

"It's getting close to dawn. My girls and I need to get back. Why don't you and your boys follow us down so that you know where the tunnel that connects our houses is."

As she led the group out the door and into the depths of the mansion, Lilith thought to herself with a grin; At last the two groups were united.


	12. Chapter 12

As Lilith showed the Brotherhood her secret tunnel. On the other side of Caldwell, in the wooded outskirts of the city an evil being plotted.

In his underground lair, the Omega laughed wickedly, "She's here. In the city!"

His _forelesser_, Mr. D stared up in confusion at the black mass that he called Master, "Excuse me, suh?"

The Omega continued as though the soulless human hadn't spoken, "I can't believe it. Lilith, here, ha!" Taking on the human form he preferred: a tall elegantly dressed male with blonde hair and light eyes. The Omega clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the top of the cave in thought, "But why has she let me sense her presence now? Was it intentional? Or just a slip of her guard?"

"Um, suh, who are you taking about?"

With a wave of his hand, an image appeared in the air. A beautiful female with golden hair and ice blue eyes stared coldly out at the _forelesser_, "This, my dear servant, is who I am talking about. A powerful female vampire by the name of Lilith." He studied his henchman with cold eyes, "I doubt that you or your men could capture her. But if you do ever come across her, I want you to attempt to capture. Alive."

"Yes, suh," the little _lesser_ replied.

The Omega turned away from his servant to study the image of the female. Did Lilith already know his location? It was quite possible, though since he kept his power concealed he doubted it. He hadn't sensed Lilith's power not once in the few years he'd taken residence in this city, but she could just as easily conceal her powers as he could.

Then why had she allowed him to feel them tonight?

It hadn't lasted long, just a blip on his internal radar, though not strong enough to give him a general location.

The answer dawned on him then and his face broke into a smile of glee. Lilith was giving him a warning; letting him know she was in the city and that she also knew he was as well. Clever girl.

Now that he knew his dear niece was in the area, the Omega knew that sooner or later they would come face to face.

Rubbing his hands together in anticipation, the Omega laughed, "I can't wait!"

Lilith was in her office when she felt the pulse of power that answered her own.

She smiled grimly. Now she knew for certain that the Omega was close by.

She'd meet her dear uncle, and soon. And when that happened, she'd makes sure she was prepared to face him.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Lilith decided it was time to join her daughter in their room and hit the hay.

Just as she rose from her chair, the little red light on her desk flashed.

Frowning, Lilith checked the time again. The light meant that someone from the Brotherhood's mansion was requesting entrance through the tunnel. But who would come over here at this time of day?

It didn't take her long to figure out who.

Sighing, she pressed the button and allowed Qhuinn to pass through. Lilith left her office and made her way down the stairs and into the game room where the tunnels connected so she could meet him.

She waited with her hands on her hips as the metal door slid away and Qhuinn stepped through the opening. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

He didn't answer for a moment, he was too busy studying the room. "Yeah, I know what time it is. Nice place you got here."

Lilith didn't bother to reply. She just folded her arms over her chest and fixed her gazed on him and waited.

Sighing, Qhuinn pushed his fingers through his hair, "I wanted to talk to you."

"I thought we talked the other night?"

He glared at her, "You know perfectly well that I was distracted. You did your damnedest to distract me."

Because it was true, she didn't bother to deny it, "So you thought of something else you wanted to ask me?"

"How did you end up in that alleyway?" When she remained silent he nodded, as if her silence was an answer in itself. "Then it was no coincidence that we met, right?"

Lilith heaved a breath and pushed her hair away from her face, "I need a drink."

She pushed past Qhuinn and stalked into the kitchen and dug two beers out of the fridge. She offered Qhuinn one and took it as a good sign when he accepted it. She pointed the tip of her bottle at a kitchen bar chair, "Sit."

Not bothering to argue, Qhuinn sat.

After taking a healthy swig out of the bottle, Lilith fixed her gaze on Qhuinn, "You're right. It wasn't a coincidence that we met."

"I saw you before that night. In the club," he pointed out.

Resting her arms on the counter Lilith rested her chin in her free hand, "Yes, I know. I was watching you."

He frowned, "Watching me? Why?"

Sighing, she took another drink. "I knew my _needing_ was approaching. I didn't want to be drugged this time around, as I've done before. But I didn't want to choose just any male to serve me."

Qhuinn was staring at her incredulously, "And you picked me?"

"I picked you," she confirmed.

He was silent for a moment and she could see the gears turning in his head. "I can't imagine why you would pick me. John was still single then, so was Blay. There were mostly likely other males that went in and out of that club. So, why did you choose me?"

She smiled, "I saw the loyalty in your eyes when you talked to your friends. I recognized the look in those eyes and in your body language that said you would give your life for them." She hesitated, but continued, "And I saw the darkness; the unhappiness."

Chills ran up his arms, but he tried to laugh off her comment, "Well, I was right out of my _transition_ then. So, I probably was a bit moody back then."

But Lilith didn't laugh, her eyes fixated on him, "You don't have to deny it, Qhuinn. I've been around for a long time and I've learned how to read people really well over the years. I know what I saw in you and I wanted to know more."

"I tried to find you. Before, when I saw you in the club. But I couldn't find you." He was a little surprised at the sharp edge of annoyance in his words.

A corner of her mouth kicked up in amusement, "I know. I purposely avoided you." When he frowned, she chuckled, "Did you really think that I'd let you lump me in with the horde of females you've had? No. I wanted to leave more of an impression in your mind than a measly one night stand."

Surprise had her eyes widening a bit when he laid his hand over hers on the counter. Looking up, she met his now serious eyes, "You weren't a one night stand, Lilith." When she tried to slip her hand out of his, his grip tightened, "No, don't pull away. I know you feel the same, I can see it in your eyes." She wasn't the only one who could read people.

"I wanted to forget you," she said with a tad bit of aggravation. "I don't want to care about you. But it's not easy to forget about you Qhuinn." She laughed, "Especially since you keep stumbling back into my life."

The knot of nerves in Qhuinn's chest loosened with relief. Lilith had just admitted that she cared about him; and that information had a goofy grin forming on his face. "We can take it slow, Lilith," he began. "Get to know each other a little more and we'll see where it goes from there. Sound good?"

Lilith wasn't sure. How could she take it slow with Qhuinn when the child they'd made together laid just upstairs? And he didn't know it.

"I'll think about it," she finally said. When his mouth firmed with irritation, Lilith held up a hand to stop his argument, "A few days. That's all I'm asking for."

Qhuinn let out a heavy breath, "Fine. That's fair, I guess."

Satisfied for now, Lilith straightened and rounded the counter to lay her hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Qhuinn. Now, I don't mean to be rude, but it's getting pretty late and I'm dead tired."

He glanced at his watch and blinked in surprise. They'd been talking for over half and hour. "Yeah. It is getting close to dawn."

Qhuinn got to his feet and turned to her. Fuck it, he decided, and wrapped his arms around her and brought her against his chest. Digging his fingers into her glorious hair, Qhuinn sighed with reluctance, "I guess I'd better be getting back."

She laughed and tilted her face up to his, "I think you should give me a goodnight kiss." With a cat-like smile, she fluttered her lashes, "It might help me sleep better."

He grinned and dipped his head, "Well, we wouldn't want you to have any nightmares now, would we?"

Lilith's lips curved under his as her arms swept around him to grab the back of his shirt in her hands. She sighed in pleasure when Qhuinn tilted his head and changed the angle of the kiss.

When things started to get a bit heated, Lilith reluctantly stepped back with a husky laugh, "I really need to get to bed."

Reaching out to caress her hair, Qhuinn said quietly, "I can stay. We'll sleep together."

Lilith barely managed to keep the panic from showing on her face and in her voice, "No. I'm still not sure if we're going to start this thing back up or not. I need time."

Qhuinn grumbled his disappointment, but he dropped his hand and stepped away. He went to the foyer and looked back at Lilith, "Goodnight, angel."

Charmed by the endearment, Lilith couldn't help but smile, "Goodnight, Qhuinn."

Once he was gone, the smile slid off her face and turned into a scowl, "You can stop spying on me now, Nathaniel."

The blond angel appeared in the corner of the kitchen. While most people would've run for the hills from the glare she shot at him, Nathaniel only shrugged it off. He'd raised Lilith, he wasn't intimidated by her temper. "I'm not going to apologize."

When she did nothing but glare harder at him, he sighed, "C'mon, Lilith. You can't blame me for spying. I'm overprotective."

"And nosy," she grumbled.

He pretended as though he hadn't heard that. "You need to tell that kid about Hope."

Lilith turned away towards the stairs, her temper already rearing its ugly head. She hated that chiding tone of his. "It's none of your business."

"Now that's where you're wrong." His voice had hardened, "Though I'm only your guardian. I think of you as my own daughter and I want nothing more than what's best for you."

"Thank you so much, Daddy," though it was said with sarcasm, some of her anger had lessened and emotion thickened her voice.

Since it was handy, the angel grabbed Lilith's unfinished beer and took a swig, "He could be good for you, Lil. That male could bring you happiness."

She turned and glowered at him, "What makes you think I'm not happy?"

"I didn't say you weren't happy," he said, "he can bring you happiness."

"Like James could?" Lilith challenged.

With a sigh Nathaniel shook his head, "He was all wrong for you, Lil. He was but a human and couldn't understand what you are."

She gazed at him, doubt clouding her blue eyes, "And you think Qhuinn would understand better than James could? I seriously doubt that." Lilith started to pace, "Wrath know what I am and sometimes I catch him looking towards me as if he's afraid of me. If the King of the vampires fears me, what makes you think that Qhuinn won't when he finds out the truth?"

"He cares about you. I saw it in the way he looked at you and when he touched you."

"James cared about me too," she retorted.

Nathaniel shook his blond head, "It's different."

Feeling drained from their talk of emotions, Lilith pressed a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes, "Listen. Not that I don't enjoy our talk of my feelings, but I really am tired Nathaniel. I'm going to bed."

"Alright. Lil?" When she glanced over her shoulder, her hand on the staircase, he finished, "Just think about it, okay?"

She let out a breath and nodded, "Fine, fine."

Nathaniel watched as she wearily climbed the stairs until she disappeared out of sight. With a shake of his head, Nathaniel fished himself out a fresh beer. Popping the top he stared at the empty staircase as he took a healthy swallow.

Sometimes, he thought to himself, it was tough being a parent.


	13. Chapter 13

The night the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood joined together to hunt evil. When some of the race's greatest warriors linked together in combat.

And it was a bummer that Qhuinn couldn't spend the night fighting side by side with the blond female warrior he wanted.

He sighed heavily and put his chin in his hand. What was she doing now with Blay and Kat? Were they kicking some _lesser_ ass while he sat in the car bored to death?

"If you sigh one more time, I'm going to tear your tongue out of your head," the dispassionate voice came from beside him.

Qhuinn looked over his shoulder in the seat next to him at Rashelle and frowned at her. It was wasted on her though, the female wasn't even looking at him, she was staring out the opposite window.

Truthfully, he hadn't known he'd been sighing all that much. Glancing towards the front of the car, he noticed John's eyes laughing at him in the rear view window.

Qhuinn scowled at his friend and flipped him the bird.

Sending Rashelle one last glance, Qhuinn went back to looking out the window.

Minutes passed, the only thing to fill the silence of the car was the pounding of rap music. Lil' Wayne wasn't a god, but he sure was close.

Rashelle straightened in her seat, energy vibrating off of her, "Stop the car."

John did as she asked and pulled to the curb and killed the engine. Turning around in his seat, John exchanged a look with Qhuinn. "What is it?" Qhuinn asked the female.

She didn't answer immediately, instead Rashelle opened the car door and stepped out into the open night air. After exchanging another look with each other, Qhuinn and John followed suit.

As soon as he stepped out of the car Qhuinn smelt it; baby powder. How Rashelle had smelled it inside the car, he had no idea, but it was a good thing she had.

Glancing around, Qhuinn thought that it was an odd spot to find _lessers_. Usually, you found them in around clubs or martial arts dojos, looking for any vampires they could capture or heading back to their hideout. But this area of town was mostly abandoned, save for the few drug dealers and prostitutes. Every where you looked there were run down buildings or old shops that had gone out of business.

"Something doesn't feel right about this," Qhuinn said to his two companions.

Rashelle didn't answer. Closing her eyes, the female lifted her head and sniffed the night air. She pointed in a direction, "They're over that way. Maybe two or three of them."

_How are we going to do this_, John signed.

Qhuinn studied the building that Rashelle had pointed to. It used to be a small apartment complex but now it looked more like a crack house. Turning to the dark haired female he asked, "How good are you at scaling walls?"

"Very."

Pointing to the building in question, Qhuinn told her, "Go around the back and climb up the walls. Keep out of sight, but see if you can see any _lessers_ through the windows. John and I will go through the front, you'll have our backs. If we find some I'll call out how many there are."

She gave him a thumbs up and just like that she was gone, blending into the shadows.

Qhuinn pulled his Beretta out of his holster and checked the clip before flicking off the safety. Glancing over, he saw John sending a text on his phone. Frowning, he asked, "What are you doing?"

John put away his phone and signed, _I sent Tohr, Diane, and Karen our location and asked them to head over. We don't really know what we're up against, we might need the extra help._

Cursing himself silently, Qhuinn nodded to his friend. He should've thought of that. "Should we wait for them?"

_They aren't far away. I think we can go ahead and check it out, they'll be here in a few._

"Let's do this, man."

Guns out and pointed up, Qhuinn and John hurried over to the building and they put their backs up against the wall on either side of the door. With a nod from John, Qhuinn reached out and opened the door, his back still against the wall.

Once the door was open, John filled the doorway, his gun pointed in dark building. Waiting for an enemy to make itself known.

John shook his head at Qhuinn, nobody in sight. On guard, the two of them headed into the building with Qhuinn leading the way. He was, after all, John's bodyguard.

As the two males slowly climbed the stairs, Qhuinn couldn't shake the feeling that something was definitely off. The place smelt of baby powder all right, but it was way too quiet. Kind of like a horror flick just before the ditzy blond gets gleefully hacked up by the serial killer.

Suddenly, in the distance, they heard the sound of multiple car doors slamming. Their backup had arrived.

John met his eyes in an acknowledgment that he had heard it as well.

More confident now that they weren't on their own, Qhuinn picked up the pace in their search for _lessers_.

The eruption up gunfire from above shocked them both into stillness for a few moments, but they soon regained their senses and charged in a full out run up the remaining stairs and up to the fifth floor. Throwing open the stairwell door, Qhuinn turned the corner with guns up ready to take out all bad guys in his path.

Only to find they were already dead. Rashelle had already smoked one, he noticed as he lowered the gun and stepped farther into the room, he could tell by the scorched tile. She was on top of another, already dead from a quick slice across the neck.

As they watched, Rashelle raised her dagger twirled it expertly in the air before descending it into the _lesser's_ chest.

Applause from behind them made Qhuinn jump. Whirling around he found Tohr standing in the door way, his hands on his hips with Diane and Karen on either side of him.

"That's our Rashelle! So good she doesn't need any stinking males or backup, she takes them all out in a blink of an eye!" Karen exclaimed with a sunny smile.

Diane smiled smugly as she folded her arms over her chest, "That's to be expected from our second-in-command. After all, she was trained by the best."

With a sigh Karen looked pitifully across Tohr's body at her Sister, "Poo, we didn't get to kill anything, Diane."

The other female's smile melted into a pout, "You're right. Rashelle always has all the fun."

Sighing unanimously, the two females hooked their arms through Tohr's and started to steer him back the way they came. "C'mon, Tohr Honey, let's go kill something together," Karen crooned.

Diane laughed, "I swear, if you weren't already mated I'd scoop you up so fast you wouldn't know what hit you."

Qhuinn rolled his eyes at the females' antics.

Rashelle came up to them. As she tucked away her knife she asked, "Should we go too?"

"I don't think so, bloodsuckers."

Everyone, including Tohr and the two females that had ensnared him, froze. A tall _lesser_ grinned at them in another doorway across the room. A bomb strapped to his chest.

Shit, Qhuinn cursed to himself.

With a grin of pure malice, the _lesser_ held up the ignition switch in his hand, "You see, all I have to do is press this little bitty button and we all go kablooey."

Double shit.

Lifting his other hand, the _lesser_ waved to them as he pressed the button, "Bye-bye, Vampires. I'll see you in hell."

"FUCK!" Qhuinn jumped on top of John, shielding his friend's body with his own. As he did he saw Tohr and Rashelle cover Diane and Karen, much like he was doing with John, just before the bomb went off.

The last thing Qhuinn saw was the smile on the fucking _lesser's_ face even as his body blew apart in a fiery sea of red.

His last thought had been of Lilith.

He thought he'd whispered her name, but he couldn't be sure.

And then his world went black.


	14. Chapter 14

Lilith walked out of McDonald's with a bag clutched greedily between her hands. Blay, Kat, and herself had been riding around all night looking for some soulless undead with no luck what so friggin' ever! A few minutes ago, her bladder couldn't possibly take anymore and she'd begged the redheaded male to pull over.

She didn't know how hungry she had been until she'd stepped into the fast food restaurant and couldn't resist picking up some grub.

As she slid into the passenger's seat, she cursed when her phone began to ring. Closing the door, Lilith juggled the bag until she could dig her phone out of her pocket. "Hello?"

Karen's usually cheerful voice was unusually hoarse and scratchy when it came on the other end, "Lilith?"

Frowning, Lilith answered, "What is it, Karen?" When the female coughed thickly, she tensed, "Something's happened."

From the seat beside her, Blaylock watched with growing unease as the female's face paled and her eyes widened in horror. She ran a restless hand through her hair as she nodded in understanding. "Okay, okay. We'll be there as soon as we can," she said in a slightly trembling voice before she hung up the phone.

She turned to him and Blay saw the true fear in her eyes in her pale blue eyes, "We have to get back to the Brotherhood's mansion. Right now!"

He didn't question her, instead he peeled out of the parking lot towards home. Clutching the steering wheel with both hands, Blay didn't take his eyes off the road as he asked Lilith, "What happened?"

"It's Qhuinn," Lilith answered in a strangled voice. "Please hurry." She didn't elaborate and she didn't have to.

Blay's heart skipped a beat, then he stomped his foot down on the accelerator in a hurry to get to his friend and the man he's in love with.

When the three of them arrived at the mansion's parking garage, Lilith jumped out of the car as soon as Blay put it in park. Throwing open the door she made a running bee-line to the Brotherhood's make-shift hospital.

She found Diane and Karen sitting outside the white-doubled doors with thick blankets clutched around their shoulders. The two females were dirty and and sported more than a few scratches and scrapes. While Diane had some nasty looking burns on her face and her arms, Karen was clean of them as she always was. Karen controlled fire, she could even make it appear in her palms. Her skin was incapable of burning, a handy ability in cases like this.

Lilith hurried over and threw her arms around the two girls and hugged them tight, "I'm so glad you two are okay." Pulling back she didn't feel any shame at the tears she felt brimming in her eyes. Looking back at the doors she asked them, "Who else is in there?"

"Qhuinn, John, Tohr, and Rashelle," Diane answered her gravely.

Qhuinn _and_ Rashelle?! Good Lord, "What happened?"

Karen relayed what had happened, from when the two of them arrived with Tohr to the_ lesser_ blowing himself sky-high.

"Qhuinn covered John. They were the closest to the lesser and were both severely injured, but Qhuinn's in the worst condition." Karen knuckled away a tear that had started to trail down her dirt stained face, "Rashelle covered me and Tohr did the same with Diane. I tried to protect us, but I couldn't protect all of us completely. They're hurt, but not as bad as John and Qhuinn."

The usually spirited female's face crumpled. Covering her face with her hands and began to sob into them, "I'm so sorry!"

Diane wrapped an arm around Karen's shoulders and rested her head on the top of her friend's. Looking up at their leader Diane finished for her, "Karen and I weren't seriously hurt; we could still move. So, we grabbed the others and managed to get them in the cars. Karen drove one and I drove the other and we brought them here, Karen called you on the way back."

Lilith enveloped around Karen and made soothing noises into the female's hair as she'd done to the girl since Lilith had found her as a child at a slave auction in the Old Country over a century ago. Petting Karen's silky red hair, Lilith told her in a hushed voice, "Shh, it's alright, sweetie. You did the best you could. They're alive, that's all that matters and it's thanks to the both of you. You brought them home."

She placed her hands on either side of the younger female's head and lifted it so she could meet those emerald green red-rimmed, tear-filled eyes, "Don't blame yourself. Blame the_ lesser_ that did this to them and the Omega for creating the_ lesser_. We'll pay them back for this and when we do you can go in first and slaughter as many as you want." She smiled and chucked her under the chin, "Now cheer up and wipe those tears away. You look like crap."

That got a watery laugh and a sniffle out of Karen and she started to dry her eyes on the blanket.

Lilith turned as Kat made her way to them, "Take them both home and get them settled and into bed. I'm going inside to see if I can help."

Kat nodded and led Karen and Diane down the hall and out of sight.

Lilith turned with grim resolve to the medical room's doors. She inhaled a ragged breath before she got the nerve to push through the both of them and into the room.

They'd called in Rowena, she noted as she saw her medic tending to Rashelle on a hospital bed. The Sisterhood's medic turned when her leader walked in. She gave Lilith a grim smile, but gave her a thumbs up: Rashelle was going to be okay.

Lilith breathed a sigh of relief. Now that she knew her second-in-command was in capable hands, she turned her attention to the rest of the room.

The Brother Tohrment lay asleep in another hospital bed unattended. He was burned, cut up, bruised and bloody; far from the handsome male she'd met the other night. An IV was connected to his arm, but she took it as a good sign that no one was attending to him. Someone had already apparently started to patch him up since she noticed the bandages and gauze on various parts of his body.

It was the two other beds she was most concerned with. There were four people standing around them, two over each. The Brother Vishous and his_ shellan_, the Brotherhood's doctor Jane, stood over one motionless form while Doctor Manny Manello, the human _hellren_ of Vishous's twin sister Payne, stood over the other patient. They were in surgical garb and they all looked grim.

Please let Qhuinn be alright, Lilith begged silently as she made her way over to her cousins and their mates.

Vishous noticed her first. Her broke away from his mate and came to her, "Maybe you should wait outside. It's not pretty."

She didn't look at him, but at the two male figures on the bed, "I've come to help them. Give them blood." When he started to argue, she whirled to snarl at him, "I've got the purest damn blood in vampire society. If they ingest my blood then they'll have a better chance at making it. I want them to live, Vishous! Let me help!"

He studied her for a moment, but then nodded. He lead her over with a wave of his gloved hand.

Lilith barely managed to bite back her horrified gasp as she got a good look at Qhuinn. His once handsome face was bloody and raw with burns. They'd stripped him of his clothes, or what had been left of them, so they could remove glass, debris, and shrapnel that had embedded itself in his flesh. Third degree burns covered him from head to toe and he was bleeding profusely from a painful, deep gash across his stomach. But the worst wound of all had to be his right arm. It had almost been completely ripped from his body. The wound was a bloody mess and she could make out bone inside beneath torn tendons and muscle.

She eyed John, who didn't appear to be much better off, but he wasn't as bad as Qhuinn was. Karen said Qhuinn had covered John and had taken the worst hit of all of them.

Lilith mentally took in all of John's wounds. He'd live, she determined; but Qhuinn, her Qhuinn, she wasn't so certain.

No, she thought with determination. She wouldn't let him die, she refused to let the father of her child perish before her.

Stripping off her leather jacket, Lilith tossed it aside. Pushing past Vishous and the others, Lilith made her way to stand between the two beds near each of the male's heads.

"Wait, you're going to feed both of them?" Jane asked her from behind her surgical mask.

Lilith didn't bother to face the ghostly doctor, "Yes. Qhuinn is John's _ahstrux nohtrum_ he must be tended to before Qhuinn. Since I refuse to do that, I'll donate blood to him at the same time."

Jane started to protest, "But isn't that dangerous? They're both badly injured, they'll need a lot from you to heal from this."

Uh oh, Lilith thought with a grimace, she hadn't thought that through. Fishing in her pocket, Lilith sent Gabriel a quick text:

_**Need you at the Brotherhood's mansion. In the hospital room.**_  
_**Now.**_

_**Lil.**_

She didn't bother to wait for him to reply, she stuffed the phone back into her pocket. Glancing at her cousin's mate, she said, "I've got it taken care of."

Jane looked doubtful, but she kept quiet.

Bringing her wrists up to her mouth, Lilith sank her fangs deep into one wrist and then did the same to the next. With her own blood staining her lips and as it started to fall from her pale wrists, she told the doctors and their mates, "Open their mouths."

Vishous and Manny hurried to do as she asked. It didn't take a lot of work, both males' mouths were slack in their unconsciousness.

Holding her arms out, Lilith let her blood fall into each of their open mouths. She watched as the first drops fell into Qhuinn's mouth, she smiled with joy as his body jerked and his good hand immediately came up to grip her wrist and bring it down to his mouth so he could suckle greedily at her flesh. She felt John's hands do the same on her other wrist. Crouching down, she made herself comfortable as the two males drank her pure blood.

She didn't have the energy to crouch for long, and she was very grateful when Payne brought her a chair in which she sank weekly into. Glancing down at Qhuinn, she was pleased to note that his most severe wounds were starting to close. John's body was doing the same on her other side.

A few seconds later, she began to grow shaky. She couldn't keep feeding the both of them for much longer, her body wouldn't be able to take it. Lilith noticed that John's major wounds were almost entirely healed and decided he'd be fine without her blood now.

"Vishous," she called, "will you pry John from my wrist. I think he'll be fine now, but Qhuinn still needs a bit more."

It took both Manny and Vishous to pull her wrist from John's hungry mouth, but they managed it. Bringing her raw wrist to her mouth, Lilith licked her self-inflicted wound so it would start to heal. Then she turned her full attention on Qhuinn.

He was much better, she noted. His shoulder was almost completely healed and the gash on his abdomen was nothing more than a pink scar by now. His burns and cuts were beginning to heal over but there was still more to be done.

The doors to the emergency room swung open and a silvery haired blonde female sporting _bloodslave_ bonds on her neck and wrist hurried in the room. The Brother Zsadist was hot on her heels.

Her aquamarine eyes landed on Tohrment and they filled with tears as they widened, "Tohr! Oh, God!" The female, whose name Lilith remembered was Melody and Tohr's _shellan_, hurried to her _hellren_ and took his bandaged hand and brought it to her cheek.

Lilith watched as she kissed and clutched at her mate's hand, and was amazed at the complete and udder love in her eyes blended with terror as she gazed at the Brother.

Had her eyes looked like that, Lilith wondered, when she'd walked into the room and seen Qhuinn lying so still?

Zsadist came to rest a hand on the female's shoulder. "Come on, Mel," he softly told the female. "Let's let him get some rest. He'll be fine, he just needs to heal."

Mel didn't shrug off the male's hand, but she ignored his words, "He probably needs blood. I should give him some."

The scarred Brother sighed and looked towards Rowena, since the other doctors seemed to busy, "Is it all right if she stays in here by herself? If she gives him blood?"

Rowena glanced at Tohr before answering, "It's fine. The blood will speed the healing process. And," she continued with a gentle smile, "I'm sure he'd feel better have his_ shellan_ at his side."

Zsadist only grunted in reply. Patting Melody affectionately on the shoulder, he left the room.

As Lilith had done, Melody bit her own wrist and held it to her mate's lips.

Qhuinn chose that moment to bite down on her wrist, as if he was reminding her that he was still there. She hissed at the stinging pain but didn't jerk her hand away.

Deciding that he'd consumed enough to heal most of his wounds, Lilith eased her wrist away from his suckling mouth and licked the spot where she'd pierced her own flesh with her fangs.

She let Jane wrap bandages around her wrists before she attempted to get to her feet. That didn't work to well, she stumbled on legs that were as weak as a newborn calf's. Qhuinn and John had taken a little too much blood.

Gabriel appeared in the doorway as if on cue, his hands on his hips he took in her pale skin, her wobbly legs and the bandages on her wrists, then frowned. He stalked over to her and grasped her upper arms in his hands, "Overdid it today, huh?"

Lilith managed to give him a weak smile, "A little bit."

Gabriel gave Qhuinn and John a spare glance before he nodded at Vishous, "I'll take it from here. She needs to rest." The other male didn't argue with him.

Lilith groaned as her vision began to go red, she swayed against the demon, "Gabe...it's starting."

Gabriel lifted her chin and his mouth firmed in a hard line when he saw that the icy blue color of her eyes was starting to darken and gleam a murderous blood red.

Vishous's eyes widened when he got a look at his cousin's now crimson eyes, "What the hell?!"

When her pupils started to shrink into vertical slits, Gabriel spat out a curse, "Shit!" Scooping the female he'd helped raise since she was a child into his arms he hurried out of the room before she changed into her demon self and killed them all.


	15. Chapter 15

Gabriel burst through the door in the game room with Lilith still held in his arms.

Zoe jumped at the slamming of the door. Her wide brown eyes turned to look at the demon as he entered the living room. As soon as she saw the Black Rose Sisterhood's leader in Gabriel's arms, she jumped up from her place on the couch. "What happened?"

Gabriel shook his head and hurried down the hallway, "No time to explain. I need you to go get Nathaniel. Now!"

Zoe didn't argue, she zipped up the stairs to go find the angel.

When Lilith started to thrash in his arms, Gabriel gritted his teeth and tightened his grip. He had to be sure her arms were tightly secured at her sides or else she would tear him apart with the claws that had burst bloodily from her fingers.

He made it to the containment chamber by the time Nathaniel caught up with him and Zoe right on his heels.

Nathaniel cursed at Lilith's state and fumbled with the latch of the door, "How did this happen?"

Lilith's writhing increased and Gabriel replied through a strained voice, "Her boyfriend and his friend got hurt pretty bad. She gave them both blood."

The angel finally pushed open the heavy door, went inside then held the door open for Gabriel. While the demon struggled to get through the door with the struggling female, Nathaniel told Zoe, "You should go upstairs and be with Hope. This could get ugly."

Zoe glanced at her leader and mentor, then nodded. She turned and left the two other-worldly beings alone with Lilith.

Nathaniel shut the door behind them once she was gone then flipped and bolted all four of the locks.

Turning, Nathaniel watched as Gabriel tried to sit down on the side of the small bed they kept inside the room, his arms around Lilith in an effort to keep her still.

With a sigh, he pulled his shirt up over his head and threw it aside. Lilith had gotten it for him for Christmas last year, and it wouldn't be good if he got blood all over it. He then started towards the female he thought of as a daughter with grim determination.

This was going to be ugly indeed.

Qhuinn woke with a start, his skin bathed in sweat.

Breaths coming heavily out of his mouth, he ran a shaky hand over his face.

He'd dreamed, well, it had seemed totally real. Too real. In his dreams, he and John had been caught in a fiery, burning explosion that had been so graciously given by a _lesser_. There had been others there, he remembered. Some of Lilith's girls; Rashelle, Diane, and Karen, and Tohr had been there as well.

He glanced around him and was more than a little relieved to find himself in his room, in his own bed. So it really had been a dream.

Since there was no way he was going back to sleep now, Qhuinn decided to get up and get a shower.

He barely managed to sit himself up and on the edge of the bed. Damn, he felt so weak.

As Qhuinn sat there trying to regain his strength there came a knock on his bedroom door. With a frown, he called out, "Come in."

He wasn't really surprised to see Blaylock enter his room. The red head nodded to him, then shut the door quietly behind him. "I see you're awake."

Something in Blay's voice sounded off, wary maybe, "Yeah, just had a bad dream. That's all."

Blay came to sit next to him on the bed. Well aware of Blay's feelings towards him, Qhuinn was very glad that the sheets were still tangled around his hips.

"How're you feeling?"

Qhuinn frowned at his friend, "A little weak, but other than that I'm all good." When Blay didn't look very convinced he asked, "Why?"

Blay looked away, "You almost died."

"What?"

His friend glanced at him, "You don't remember?"

Qhuinn remembered his dream and then let out a shaky curse, "Shit. So that wasn't really a bad dream; it was real." He glanced down at himself and was confused. If he'd almost died, shouldn't he be covered in wounds? "Why aren't I hurt?"

Blay hesitated a moment before answering, "It was Lilith, she gave both you and John blood. Without it...you both might have died."

She gave them both blood? He looked down at himself again and searched for any sign of injuries. Not even a scratch. Damn, that had to have taken a lot out of her. "How is John doing?"

"Good. He's awake and Xhex is taking very good care of her man."

Thank God. "Where is Lilith anyway?"

Blay's face closed up, "Probably at her house. Some big dude came to carry her back after she got through feeding you guys enough."

Another male? Was there someone else in her life that she hadn't told him about? He had to see her. Not just to see about this guy Blay mentioned (though he was very curious about that) but to thank her for saving the life of him and his friend.

Glancing at the clock on the bedside table he determined that by the time he got out of the shower and dressed the sun would have gone down and Lilith should be awake.

"You're going to go see her, aren't you?"

Qhuinn glanced at Blay, sighed and nodded, "Yeah. I'm sorry."

His friend shrugged it off as he got to his feet, "You have nothing to be sorry about. You've made your feelings clear."

Putting his head in his hands Qhuinn said, "Still, I wish I didn't have to hurt you." Damn it, he was getting a headache.

"It's cool. Don't worry about me, go see your lady," and with that, Blaylock left.

With a sigh of defeat, Qhuinn shakily pushed himself to his feet and made his way to the bathroom. He didn't like hurting Blay, but what could he do? He wanted a _shellan_ and, eventually, young. He cared about Blay, but he wanted more.

Lilith immediately came to mind. Yeah, he wanted more with her. And after he nagged her down a bit, she would see that he was as good a choice as any to be her _hellren_.

Qhuinn finished his shower with a grin on his face.

Gabriel finished bandaging up Nathaniel's neck. When the angel winced in pain, he snorted, "Suck it up, you pussy. It's just a little bite." It was a bite all right, but there wasn't anything little about it.

During the struggle to get Lilith to feed from Nathaniel, her fangs had elongated twice their normal size. When they'd finally managed to get her to feed, she'd pretty much torn greedily into his throat.

He hadn't escaped without his share of wounds either. With her usual personality swallowed by her demonic nature Lilith didn't recognize them at all. She'd attacked them ruthlessly. With her claws and fangs, she'd torn and ripped their flesh and thrown them around like they weighed nothing at all.

The female in question was now passed out on the small bed. Her blood lust was sated and she was now back to her usual self. Well, except that she was now covered in blood.

With a hiss of pain, Gabriel pushed himself to his feet before helping Nathaniel to his. Jerking a thumb at the sleeping female, Gabriel asked the angel, "Who should we get to clean up sleeping beauty over there?"

Nathaniel put a hand to the bandage on his neck and grimaced, "I don't know about you, but I'm all for leaving her ass down here. That fucking hurt."

With a roll of his eyes, Gabriel pushed the angel to the door, "Just get your holy ass upstairs and go to bed. I'll find someone to take care of Lilith." When Nathaniel swayed a bit, Gabriel threw his arm over his shoulder and took most of his weight with a sigh, "Guess I've got to take care of your butt too."

"Aw, that was sweet. I'm all a tingle inside from of your heartfelt words."

Gabriel laughed as he led Nathaniel out of the containment chamber, "Bite me."


	16. Chapter 16

Qhuinn frowned at the door at the end of the tunnel that connected the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood's mansion. The last time he'd decided to make a visit over here the door had been tightly locked. He'd had to ring the doorbell on the wall in order to be let in.

But now the door was slightly ajar, as if someone had forgotten to shut it. Blay had said the strange guy had carried Lilith out of the mansion, maybe he'd had his hands full and couldn't shut it.

Qhuinn shrugged, either way, it saved him the trouble of waking someone up to come and let him in.

Stepping through the doorway, he was more than a little surprised to find nobody in sight. I was just after sunset, shouldn't someone be up?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard someone coming down the hallway across the living room. He waited as an auburn haired female in a cream colored nightie stepped into view. She jolted when she caught sight of him, "Shit! You scared the hell out of me."

He raised his hands in apology, "Sorry bout that."

She waved it off and then looked him up and down, "What're you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to Lilith. Is she up yet?"

The female glanced back at the hallway she'd just emerged from, "Not yet. She's had a rough night."

"Oh," he scratched his head, "I could wait. I really want to speak with her."

"Well...," she glanced back again, then at him. She sighed, "You're going to insist on staying even if I say no, huh?"

Qhuinn's grin flashed, "Pretty much."

She chuckled at that and waved towards the couch, "Just have a seat there. Wrath gave the girls the night off due to what happened last night so everyone's sleeping in. So if you want to catch a few more Zs you're more than welcome to."

He went to the couch and sat down, "Appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. Now, if you'll excuse me," she yawned, "I'm going back to bed to snuggle up with my hellren."

Qhuinn watched her leave and thought about asking her who the mystery man was, but opted not to. He'd ask Lilith himself when she woke up for the night. Making himself comfortable, he settled back more onto the couch. It was damn comfortable.

It wasn't long before he felt his eyelids begin to droop. Funny, he'd just woken up and now he was tired again. He glanced around, the room was still a ghost town. Shrugging, he laid down on the couch, folding his arms behind his head. He might as well sleep for a bit longer. He didn't want to be yawning while he thanked Lilith for saving his life, now, did he?

He smiled at the imagery before he drifted off to sleep.

Lilith awoke with a pounding in her head and a groan on her lips. It felt like tiny angry men were pounding hammers against the inside of her skull.

Gritting her teeth, she slowly sat up, taking care not to jostle her aching head too much in the process.

Taking a quick survey of her surroundings, Lilith was a little surprised to find herself in the containment chamber. Pushing a hand through her hair she let out a shaky breath. She stopped in the middle of the motion when she saw the drying blood on her fingers and her arms.

With wide eyes, she glanced down at the rest of herself and the bed and winced at the amount of blood that had been spilled. Lilith put a hand to her lips and found, it too, was sticky with dried blood.

Judging by the amount she saw, Lilith owed either Gabe or Nathaniel an apology, possibly both.

Lilith got to her feet and over to the tiny sink in the corner of the room and proceeded to try to wipe the blood from her skin and hair. She watched as the water turned pink as it washed away the signs of her night. Not for the first time, she was glad they hadn't put a mirror in this room. She shuddered at the image of what she probably looked like.

Once she was clean pretty much clean, she straightened and tried to shake off the droplets of water that clung to her skin. That was when she spotted the nightgown.

Rowena was a saint, Lilith praised silently. She peeled off her dirty clothes quickly and pulled the silky, red material over her body. Oh how she liked the feel of silk against her skin.

Feeling loads better now that she was semi-clean and out of those dirty clothes, Lilith padded barefoot towards the door. When she felt the door handle give under her hand, she heaved a sigh of relief. Every time she went through one of her "moments" she was always afraid that when she woke up the door would be locked. Sealing her away where she belonged.

The grumbling of her stomach made her chuckle, apparently it was time to round up some grub.

Opening the door, Lilith went through and left the room; until the next time she lost herself to the beast within.

Tiny hands on his face was what woke him.

His eyes flying open, Qhuinn came face to face with a little girl.

He smiled, "Hey there, cutie. Where did you come from?"

She babbled incoherently at him and aimed a heart-wrenching smile, with very few teeth, at him.

Chuckling, Qhuinn sat up on the couch where he'd been napping and ruffled the girl's black curls, "I can't think of a prettier face to wake up to. Now where's your mama?"

The child stuck her hand in her mouth, while keeping one hand clutched to the couch to hold herself up, and bounced happily on her heels and didn't answer. Though, he hadn't expected her to.

"Hope! You get your little butt right over here, Missy. It's time to eat."

Qhuinn picked the girl up from underneath her arms and held her up as he stood, "Did someone lose a cute little girl." The girl in question let out a gurgle of a laugh and happily kicked her heels.

The young, blond female stood in the kitchen a baby bottle in her hand. Qhuinn remembered seeing her at the mansion when Lilith had introduced the lot of them to the Brothers. If he remembered correctly, her name was Zoe.

Setting the girl on his hip, Qhuinn stepped around the couch and into the kitchen to hand her over to Zoe. The female accepted her, but her face had gone pale and her eyes wide.

"Cute kid," he nodded towards the child. "Yours?"

She slowly shook her head.

"Oh," he shrugged. He looked around, "Is Lilith up yet? I was waiting for her in the living room, but I fell asleep."

Zoe didn't look so good, her face was still pale, "How did you get in here?"

Ah, he thought, that's why she's so jumpy. She thought he'd broken into their home. "The door was open, so I came in. The redhead said I could wait for Lilith on the couch. I didn't mean to startle you."

When she didn't respond, he glanced behind her and spotted the stairs in the hallway, "Is her room up there? I can just go on up, I shouldn't take too long."

He started to walk past her when she cried out, "No! You can't!"

Qhuinn halted and raised a brow at her, "Why not?"

"Because, uh," she fumbled for words, "because she's not up there."

That had Qhuinn frowning, "If she's not up there then where the heck is she?"

Before Zoe could open her mouth, Qhuinn heard the distinct sound of bare feet on tile coming from the hallway.

"Uh oh," Zoe breathed.

Her words didn't register in Qhuinn's brain, because every thought in his head fried when Lilith stepped into the living room in one of the sexiest pieces of clothing he'd ever seen. Whatever genius had created that little piece of red silk deserved a metal.

Hell, he thought, as he watched the way it enticingly clung to Lilith's curves, they deserved the crown jewels.

Lifting his hand in greeting, he grinned when she finally spotted him. The smile quickly disappeared when her face went pale much like Zoe's had.

The little girl in Zoe's arms raised her arms towards Lilith and shrieked, "Ma-ma!" With that, she wiggled in the young female's arms in an demand to be put down.

Qhuinn's jaw dropped as his eyes fastened on the little girl. What was that she said? Mama? If Lilith was her Mama, then that would mean..

He studied the child's features. Small, black curls covered the girl's head. The color was darker than Lilith's, and her hair was too curly. But Qhuinn's hair curled much like the girl's when he let it grow out. He stared into eyes the color of icy water, much like Lilith's. But, the left eye was a bit darker, a bit greener. Just like his.

The child looked to be around two years old. Meaning, that Lilith's needing had indeed resulted in a pregnancy.

A daughter, Qhuinn thought numbly. He had a daughter, whose name he didn't even know.

Lilith knew, he remembered angrily. She hadn't told him about the child when they'd reunited. Not even when she'd come back to his bed.

Turning, Qhuinn glared darkly at the female in question across the room. She didn't even look guilty, her face had gone impassive as she looked back at him.

Zoe looked from Qhuinn to Lilith with the baby clutched in her arms. Sensing the tension in the room and the approaching storm of an argument, she mumbled, "Oh snap." And backed out of the room and out of the line of fire.


	17. Chapter 17

"Answer me this," Qhuinn growled through his teeth as he addressed the female he'd been thinking of asking to be his _shellan_ this night, only moments ago, "were you even planning on telling me?"

He facial expression didn't change when she admitted, "Not if I could help it."

Her eyes widened slightly when Qhuinn let out a roar of rage and thrust both hands through his hair and turned away from her. Maybe she ought to explain, "I was planning on telling you now that we've met again. I just didn't know how to tell you."

Qhuinn spun and planted his fist through the wall, "Do you think that excuses what you've done?!"

She didn't respond. Couldn't.

Stalking up to her, Qhuinn grasped her by the shoulders and gave her a hard shake, "Don't you understand? I've just found out that I have a daughter. A daughter who is-what, almost three?!-and I haven't been apart of her life! Never mind the fact that I don't even know my own child's name!"

"Hope," Lilith murmured. "Her name is Hope."

She watched the muscles in his jaw clench and his mismatched eyes fill with pain. Inside her breast, Lilith felt her heart break with his. What had she cost this male?

Qhuinn's hands slowly slid away from her shoulders. He shuffled back to the living room and slumped back on to the couch. He slouched forward and put his face in his hands.

Lilith didn't move. An internal struggle was waging inside her between the urge to go to Qhuinn's side and retain her illusion of aloofness.

She stood there for what seemed like hours, watching him sit on that couch in silence. Neither of them attempted to speak and she didn't bother to try and apologize for what she'd done.

Finally, she got tired of the agonizing silence. Walking over to the small bookshelf in the corner of the living room, Lilith gently picked up a pink leather-bound book.

She stroked the cover then took a deep breath before she made her way to stand in front of Qhuinn. Bending down, she laid the book on the coffee table before him, "I think you should have this. You need it more than I."

Lilith straightened and proceeded to exit the room, before Qhuinn's barely audible, hoarse whisper caught her ear, "Why, Lilith? Why couldn't you just tell me the truth?"

Her hand clenched on the door-frame. She answered honestly without bothering to turn around, "Because I was afraid."

She left the room, leaving Qhuinn behind with those words and his own thoughts.

Qhuinn watched her go with tear-filled eyes and a lump the size of a golf ball in his throat.

He turned his attention to the book she'd sat in front of him and his breath caught. In big, bubbly letters the words: _Hope's Baby Book_ was placed decoratively across the leathery surface. Flowers and bows artfully decorated the cover, it was obviously made with a little girl in mind.

His daughter's- no, _Hope's, _he corrected himself- cherub-like face flashed in his mind and he managed a smile.

With shaky hands, he lifted the book into his lap and opened the cover.

Right smack-dab in the middle of the first page was a black and white picture. At first, Qhuinn couldn't understand what he was looking at. It looked like nothing but white swirls in a sea of blackness.

He turned it one way, then the other as he looked at it with a frown. Then it hit him: the ultrasound. A picture of Hope while she was still in her mother's womb.

Qhuinn glanced up at the doorway where Lilith disappeared and tried to picture her body swollen with child. His child.

Removing his hands away from the book, in an effort not to break it, he clenched them into tight fists. Why? Why had she hidden such a thing from him?

Well, he thought with a scowl, could he really blame her? Looking back on himself three years ago he wasn't exactly father material. He'd been young and banging everything in a skirt.

But, he was different now. He thought Lilith had seen that, obviously he'd been wrong.

Shaking off his renewed depression, Qhuinn turned his attention back to the baby book and flipped to the next page.

There was more than one picture on this page. One was of a heavily pregnant Lilith, he didn't have to attempt to picture her with child now. He studied her image with severe scrutiny. She looked so happy; her head was thrown back in a silent laugh with one hand held protectively over her swollen stomach.

The other arm however, he noticed with narrow eyes, was wrapped affectionately around the waist of a dark haired male whose arm was wrapped around her shoulders. This must the male that had carried Lilith out of the Brotherhood's mansion, he fit the description Blay gave him to the T.

Jealousy boiled in his veins, this guy must be something special to be able to make Lilith laugh like that, something he hadn't even done.

He turned his attention to the other photo. This one made his eyes soften, Lilith lay in what looked like a hospital bed. Her face was bathed in sweat but her eyes were bright with tears and a smile lifted her mouth. In her arms lay a pink bundle with a red faced baby who looked incredible unhappy to leave the warmth of the womb.

With a half smile on his lips, Qhuinn traced the two faces in this picture with the tip of his finger.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

The growling voice had Qhuinn jolting from his place on the couch, he'd been too absorbed in the picture to notice that another person had entered the room.

He looked up to find a pair of blood red eyes staring back at him. The dark haired male from the picture was leaning against the back of the couch.

"Who're you?"

"Gabriel," the male answered. His eyes connected with the book in Qhuinn's lap and he one of his dark brows lifted, "So that's why Lilith was stomping around earlier."

Anger flashed in Qhuinn's eyes, "If you're referring to the fact that I found out that I have a daughter, then yeah."

Gabriel shrugged and pushed up from his bent position on the back of the couch, "I told her to tell you, so don't go getting all miffed at me." He walked away, heading towards the kitchen.

After a pause, Qhuinn followed him.

He watched as Gabriel opened a cabinet and got out a mug. On it was a penguin with demon horn and a tail holding a pitchfork. A little girly in Qhuinn's opinion, but, hey, who was he to judge?

"So I imagine you're pretty miffed at her then?" Gabriel asked with his back to Qhuinn.

His first thought was: _Hell yes!_ But he checked his words, "Wouldn't you be?"

Gabriel paused in the middle of pouring his coffee as if he was thinking it over. "Yeah," he finally answered, "I guess I would."

"Now I've got a question for you," Qhuinn said the other male.

Gabriel turned back to him and leaned back against the counter. Taking a sip of coffee, he said, "Shoot."

Qhuinn took a deep breath, bracing himself for the worst, "Who are you to Lilith exactly?"

He watched Gabriel's grin flash, "Don't worry, Hot Shot. I'm not her boyfriend or anything like that."

Qhuinn couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Gabriel took another gulp of coffee, "I guess you could say I'm her adoptive father. Or one of them anyway." When Qhuinn frowned he elaborated, "After Lilith's parents died, me and another male Nathaniel, he's upstairs asleep by the way, practically raised her."

"So you know her better than anyone?" Qhuinn asked.

Shrugging, Gabriel answered, "I like to believe so. Why?"

Letting out a huff of air, Qhuinn rubbed the back of his neck, "Since you aren't very surprised to see me, I assume that you know that I'm Hope's father. I just want to know why Lilith didn't tell me about her, when I asked she said it was because she was afraid but she didn't elaborate. Can you tell me why she didn't tell me?"

Gabriel didn't answer right away, he studied Qhuinn for a moment before answering, "I guess you could say she's had a bad relationship experience." He held up a hand to stop Qhuinn's interjection, "I know it sounds corny, but that's pretty much what happened and it's made it hard for her trust males. And, " he added. "If you want to know more than that, you'll have to ask her yourself. Maybe when you both cool off."

Frustration settled over Qhuinn, but he tried to push it aside. Nothing good would come of him getting angry again. Taking a deep breath, he wiped a hand over his face, "So what do you think I should do?"

Gabriel stole a glance towards the ceiling before answering, "You're both upset and last night wasn't easy on either of you. I suggest you both take a breather. Relax and give each other time before you sit down and reopen emotional wounds."

"That's not going to be easy," Qhuinn said wearily.

The demon shrugged in reply, "I don't think it's supposed to be easy, but I do think its the right thing to do at this point."

Qhuinn's shoulders drooped in defeat, "You're probably right about that. Every time I think about her keeping Hope from me I just about go crazy." He glanced at the ceiling, like Gabriel had moments ago, then down at the book in his hand. With more than a pang of reluctance, Qhuinn held Hope's baby book out to Gabriel.

With a shake of his head, the long-haired male pushed the book back at him, "No, you keep it. I'm pretty sure she wants you to have it."

Swallowing hard from his emotions, Qhuinn tucked the book gently, as if it were fine china, under his arm. Extending his arm, he put out his hand to Gabriel, "Thank you."

Gabriel didn't have to ask why Qhuinn was thanking him, he knew. Blood red eyes met mismatched blue and green as the two males clasped hands.

Qhuinn gave the stairs one last angry glance before he disappeared through the tunnel.

Gabriel watched him go. Kids, he thought with a shake of his head.

Sighing, the demon refilled his coffee mug before heading up the stairs. He was going to need an extra cup of Joe before having a heart to heart with a pissed off Lilith.

He found her right where he had expected her to be: on the roof. She sat on the ledge, her legs tucked up to her chest and her chin resting on the tops of her knees. It was a cool night and she hadn't changed out of her scarlet nightgown, but she didn't seem to notice or care; she just stared blankly off into the distance.

"I don't wanna talk about it," she said to him without turning around.

Gabriel came to sit down beside her, letting his legs dangle off the side of the building. He turned to her, "Well that's too bad. Because we are going to talk about it anyway." He took a gulp of coffee, "I just got done talking with Romeo."

If he hadn't been watching her closely, he would've missed the twitch in her eyelid as he mentioned Qhuinn. She shrugged nonchalantly, "So? Your point?"

The demon let out a frustrated sigh, "I know the situation bothers you. I don't know why you try to hide anything from me anymore."

He watched that lip quiver slightly and desperately hoped she wouldn't start crying, he never could handle the tears that was always Nathaniel's specialty. "Oh, Gabe. What am I going to do?"

Lilith hardly ever showed weakness, which made it all the more emotional for her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Gabriel gave her an affectionate rub on the arm, "Don't worry about it too much, Lil. The kid knows now, he just needs some time to cool off. Both of you do. I told him the exact same thing."

She took a deep breath to gather herself and slowly let it out again, "We're going to have to talk, big time, huh?"

He chuckled, and ruffled her hair, "Oh yeah, there's no escaping that. Especially with a kid like that." Getting to his feet, Gabriel held out a hand to help Lilith up, "Cheer up. It's not like the leader to be all depressed."

Lilith laughed as she let him help her to her feet, "Even Superman has his gloomy days." She spotted his penguin mug that she'd gotten him for last Father's day and smiled tenderly. Snatching the cup from his hands, she downed the rest of his coffee in one gulp before handing the empty mug back to him.

Gabriel looked solemnly down at his empty mug, then glared at Lilith, "That's it. You're officially dead, missy."

Lilith let out a bark of laughter and shot towards the door that led back in the house, the demon hot on her heels. There's nothing like playing chase with one of your favorite people in the world to cheer you up, Lilith thought with a smile.


	18. Chapter 18

Lilith awoke the next night in a bad mood. She hadn't heard from Qhuinn all last night or the entire day. She knew that Gabe had said they needed to take some time, but _dammit_, she just couldn't wait that long.

Frustration welling up inside her, Lilith thrust the blankets off of her and made her way to the bathroom. Once she came out, she then went to her closet shedding the t-shirt she'd worn to bed as she went. Pulling open the doors, she rummaged inside until she found a black tank-top and pulled it on over her head.

She grumbled as she pulled on a pair of black leather pants and her combat boots. Next she went to a wardrobe on the other side of the room and opened it to reveal her various array of weapons. Taking out two Berettas, she shoved them into their hostlers and hooked it around her lower back. Reaching for the large daggers, she shoved one in each of her boots and took out two arm sheaths, when you flicked your wrists the needle-like blades would be released. She grabbed two extra clips of bullets and pushed some into her pants pockets and once she'd shoved her arms through her leather jacket, she put two more in those pockets too.

Fully armed, she stalked to Hope's crib and her hard expression softened; she was still fast asleep. Planting a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead, Lilith left the room.

At the bottom of the stairs, she ran into Diane. The weapons expert blinked huge violet eyes up at her as she took in Lilith's battle attire, "Um, aren't you supposed to be off rotation today?"

Lilith shrugged as she stepped past Diane and proceeded to pour herself a cup of coffee, "I'm doing a little freelancing tonight."

"Is that a good idea?"

She paused in the process of pouring the coffee into her cup, then shrugged again as she answered coolly, "Everyone needs a stress reliever, D."

Ouch, burned by the ice, Diane silently said to herself. Shrugging it off, she told Lilith, "At least take somebody with you. I think Kat's off tonight too."

She waited patiently as Lilith busily avoided the question by pouring some creamer into her coffee, even though Diane knew darn well that Lilith usually preferred it black.

"I'd rather go alone."

Diane let out a frustrated huff, sending a curl near her face flying. Crossing her arms over her chest she retorted, "Well, you shouldn't go alone. Has the events of the other night fled your mind? It's not safe out there alone."

After a moment's pause, Lilith slowly turned her head to glare angrily at her friend over her shoulder. Diane had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from gasping. Lilith's eyes were glowing a brilliant, blood-red.

"Are you trying to say that I can't take care of myself?" her voice was raspy, a growl laced with words.

Mentally kicking herself for not remembering that just last night Lilith had been overcome by her demon blood, Diane chose her words carefully, "Of course not, Lil. I know how strong you are."

Hearing the slight tremble in her companion's voice, Lilith tried to reign in her rage. Closing her eyes, she gritted her teeth and mentally pictured pushing her anger and hatred at the world into the dark recesses of her mind.

When she felt as if she finally had herself under control again, Lilith opened her eyes and looked again at Diane. Who, was relieved to see that her eyes had returned to their normal icy blue color.

Ashamed that she'd let her temper rule her, Lilith wiped a shaky hand over her face, "Sorry about that, D."

Diane nodded, still unsure. She still wasn't sure if the demon inside of Lilith had been subdued, "It's alright."

Pushing herself away from the counter, Lilith stalked towards the front door, ignoring Diane's plea for her to wait.

Throwing open the door, Lilith breathed in the open night air. She turned when she heard Diane come up behind her, "I'll be back later."

And with that, the leader of the Black Rose Sisterhood _dematerialized _into the night.

John found Qhuinn in the bathroom, his face pressed against the tile. From his perspective, his friend looked a tad bit green. _Rough night? _he signed.

"Nah," Qhuinn slurred sickly. "Rough day is more like it." After he'd come back to the mansion, he hadn't been able to go to sleep. He'd flipped through the rest of Hope's baby book and with angry thoughts aimed at Lilith, he proceeded to get shit-faced drunk.

Squatting down on his haunches, John studied Qhuinn's face, _What's wrong? It's not like you to drink this much._

Qhuinn managed to push himself up on shaky arms into a sitting position, his back resting against the sink's cabinets. He blinked then groaned as a spout of nausea hit him again when he noticed the world spinning. Scrambling for the toilet, he hugged it as he threw up for the fourth time.

John sighed and decided to sit down on the tile and wait, this was probably going to take a bit.

Once Qhuinn had finished dry heaving, he sank back and looked at John with bleary, pain-filled eyes. "What was the question again?"

Shaking his head in pity, John asked what was wrong with him again.

"Oh, right." Qhuinn laughed hollowly, with no trace of humor in it at all, "So it turns out that I have a daughter. Almost three years old; and Lilith never told me." Gasping his head between his hands, Qhuinn rested his forehead on his up drawn knees, "Why?" he asked nobody in particular. "Why didn't she tell me?"

John said nothing at first, only continued to stare at his friend. _What would you have done_, he asked, _if she would have told you?_

Qhuinn thought about it then groaned, thinking hurt, "Ugh, I don't know. Made her my _shellan_ probably."

_That may very well be the problem, _John pointed out. When Qhuinn asked him what the hell he was talking about he elaborated, _Knowing you back then, you would have been pissed as hell to be trapped into mating with a female. Maybe Lilith knew this and kept it from you so you wouldn't feel trapped._

Qhuinn took a moment to ponder on John's words_, _"I don't know, John. Lilith isn't like any female I've met before, I just can't get her." He rested his arms on his knees and frowned, "I actually went over there last night to ask her to take me as her _hellren_."

John's brows rose at his statement, _Do you love you?_

Qhuinn did something that John had never ever seen him do, he blushed. "Yeah, man. I think I do."

_Then go and get your woman._

Letting out a frustrated growl, Qhuinn punched the tile underneath him, "But I'm still pissed at her, dammit!"

His best friend only shrugged, _Talk to her and get the truth out of her. Then tell her how you feel. Who knows, maybe she'll have a good reason for keeping you in the dark. _John waited for that to sink in before he continued, _Just don't be a complete ass and let your pride get in the way._

Qhuinn let out a breath and gave in, "All right. I guess you're right; I'll go and talk to her. Hopefully calmly this time."

John grinned and thumped him on the back before he stood up. Holding a hand out, he helped his friend to his unsteady feet.

"By the way," Qhuinn began as John steered him into his room in search of clothes, "when did you start giving out love advice?"

John let out a silent laugh as he closed the bathroom door behind them.


End file.
